Three Lives, One Body: The End Is Nigh
by DemonicFlea
Summary: After Marceline's actions, she has been cast away to the Candy dungeons, in wait for her execution. Meanwhile evil festers within Finn, growing even more powerful and starting to take him over, and no one else knows this but Marcy. Will Marceline escape her fate, and will Finn be able to battle his cracking unstable mind before he hurts someone close to him. Rated M just incase.
1. Prologue

**Back with the second part of to the previous: Three Lives, One Body: Dark Times Are Coming.**

**Here is the prologue, hopefully setting you up and getting you ready for chapters to come. Hope you read and enjoyed the first part, and I further hope you enjoy this chapter and things to come.**

**Read - Review (Like or hate, I'm curious to hear your opinion) - Enjoy :)**

Prologue:

A week since Marceline was imprisoned her trial had finally come. The court was held at the candy castle; the throne room had been reconfigured to house the court hearing. The throne itself served as the judges seat, it had a wide, light-pink, wooden desk placed in-front of it with all the notes for the case, and an ink and quill that looked like it had been plucked from Morrow, along with the judges hammer, which too was a light pink made from the oak trees in the great candy forest.

The throne room posed as an adequate stage for the court as it was a large and very long room with more then enough space to hold all the necessities, plus the throne was seated on top of five steps allowing the judge to have an overview of the courtroom. The jury was situated near the throne, in-between two tall pillars, on what resembled football stands. The plaintiff and defendants tables and seats were sat symmetrically with around ten feet separated between them, they were just off the sides of the intense pink carpet that stretch from the castle doors to the throne.

Princess Bubblegum served as this hearings judge; now and again the duty would bounce between herself and Peppermint butler, but she requested this one personally. Marceline, the defendant, was escorted through a door which presumable led down to the dungeons, and approached her seat with banana guards holding spears to her back. She still had the same clothes on that she wore when imprisoned, appearing tattered, living in the unclean conditions, now along with rusty chain cuffs on her wrists and even a iron ball and chain attached to her ankle, some would see it as a little extreme but Bubblegum knew what Marceline was capable of, Bubblegum saw it as, 'not extreme enough'.

Marceline looked quite weak though, she had been slightly underfed and was fatigued from lack of sleep and carrying a giant metal ball around her foot, especially up the spiralling flight of stairs. She sat down rapidly, dumping off all of her exhaustion with a sigh of relief, taking the weight off her feet and rested her face in her palms while she waited for the court to start.

The jury all got to their seats shortly after, it was an assortment of candy people, along with Jake; Finn was also supposed to be part of this court as the plaintiff, but couldn't bring himself to do it, for certain past encounters and feelings for the defendant.

Even though she attacked him for reasons unknown to him, he still couldn't forget those few precious minuets they had with each other, where they spoke they're feelings and she gave him the most unforgettable kiss of his life. It still was all so convoluted to him, he was sure he felt something between them, but then after that moment everything went black and then next thing he knows his being tossed through a wall.

Finn simply waited in one of Bubblegums many guest rooms, (a short distance away from the throne room considering the scale of the castle) until the whole ordeal was over.

Back in the courtroom, the hearing was about to begin; a few more banana guard entered and waited on the sidelines just in case, and a couple of other candy people came to watch, but remained far in the back of the room behind the lines of banana guard. This was the most drama they've had in quite a while, its not often there's a case as big as this.

Bubblegum had finally sat herself upon her throne, with a solid, blank expression on her face, posing high authority. Picking up the hammer as soon as she seated herself comfortably, whacking it upon the pedestal, causing the vampire to jump out of her skin as she was starting to drift to sleep in her hands on the table.

Although this court was the deciding between her life and death, she couldn't be bothered; her overall concern right now was getting a couple of minuets of rest at the very least, besides she already knew how this was going to play out and didn't want to fool herself otherwise.

Giving a short forceful clearing of her throat, "Marceline Abadeer," Bubblegum at last spoke, officially starting the hearing. Her voice had gotten better since the dispute between herself and the vampire queen, and once again sounded with a clear high pitch and authority. "you have been called upon this court today to answer for your many crimes against the Candy kingdom. Our complainant (Finn) wished not want to attend this hearing, so we will have to begin without him.

You stand accused of: conspiring against the Candy kingdom and her people..." Marceline wasn't even listening at this point, as Bubblegum talked she slowly became background noise in Marceline's ears - her head begun falling to its side, drifting of to a nap again.

As Bubblegum looked up from reading her notes to find Marceline half-asleep on the table, she didn't hesitate the grab the hammer again a slam it multiple times on the pedestal, until Marceline got up again. The constant rhythmic bashing grated her, once she grew irritant of the banging she slouched back up on the seat and pinched herself roughly, leaving a red blot on her skin, trying to stay awake.

Bubblegum returned to her notes inhaling a deep fresh set of air and clearing her throat again while she was at it, and continued were she left off. "As I was saying, conspiring against the kingdom, assaulting the honorable and famed hero, Finn the human, and lastly assaulting and almost killing me, the princess and only royalty of the Candy kingdom; how do you plea to these claims?" A few gasps and mutterings sounded between the growing crowd of citizens in the back of the room, the charges were not made public till now and just about every candy citizen adores the princess, an attack on her life is a very grim crime, and of high offense to them.

Marceline didn't answer to nobody, over the years she has grew to be very rebellious to higher powers, especially Bubblegum and her father, Hunson, ruler of a demon realm known as the Night-O-sphere. Even now she faces death, she was not going to start bending the knee to them like everyone else and beg for mercy. Besides she knew she hadn't even done anything wrong. (with the exception of Bubblegum.)

"I don't... plea... anything." She mumbled through her tired and fatigued breathes. Not only did she need a good nights rest but she desperately need more red in the diet, she had no choice to eat mortal food for a week. For the first three days of being locked up she was fed normal food, which would do nothing for her; when they finally got the meals right Bubblegum limited how much she could have to keep Marceline's strength limited.

"Speak louder, please." Bubblegum ordered, not hearing what the vampire had to say.

"I said I don't fucking plea anything!" She spat out at the princess, slamming her hands down on the table, lifting herself from the seat, her eyes widened with the outburst of fury and the hairs on her body stood from their roots; Bubblegums would probably do the same if she had any. The sleep and red deprivation made Marceline unstable, backfiring Bubblegums plans, making her even more dangerous. The dark haired girl was certainly not in any mood to constantly be repeating herself; she hated that.

Though the sudden outburst tensed up Bubblegum, causing her to flinch back in her seat a little, she remained un-intimidated. The banana guard set Marceline back down still with spears in hand, she wanted to tear them apart for touching her shoulder, or for even coming near her.

And she could, even when chained up, but she knew she wouldn't make it far after that, although just thinking of their sweet screams and the expressions on the crowds faces almost dared her to do it.

"Sooo not guilty then I'm assuming." Bubblegum said with a belittling, taunting hint to it. She quickly returned more professional again, not allowing there rivalry to cloud her judgement. "Is there any way or evidence you have to prove innocence to any or all of these accusations?"

Although Marceline constantly kept telling herself there was no point in explaining, it was her last chance and maybe they would actually listen now the tension calmed down a little since.

"Well for one, what conspiracies, I don't even know were you came up with that one, and for me attacking you, you struck me first! But I guess you forgot to mention that. Oh and Finn, I tried explaining to you that were all in danger, the Lich is inside of him and we got to get it out; it was strangling me for Globs sake!"

"The Lich hasn't been seen since... uh-hmm, he last took me. We came to the conclusion of his death. So how is he inside Finn?"

"Because I watched it happen four years ago! Were do you all think he went all that time, he died!" Marceline shouted in her defense, starting to tear up thinking about it all over again.

The jury and crowd all thought she was insane, inaudible chants came from the jury talking to each other, Bubblegum looked at them muttering to each other and back at Marceline, part of the princess actually believed her, but her logical thoughts overridden those feelings, she bluntly denounced, "Marceline - its impossible he survived."

Marceline instantly countered, "You did, and that thing is far more powerful then you."

Bubblegum gritted her teeth becoming flustered at Marceline's questioning directing her argument at herself, and mocking of her abilities.

"Guh! I am made of a special dense candy biomass capable of splicing any two parts together to form..." Bumblegum growled in the back of her throat, pinching eyes together, trying to correct her line of thought, realising she was succumbing to this irrelevant argument, "**Huff**, we're getting off topic!" She grabbed the case papers, realigning them against the table, as they got shuffled up in her short rant.

There was a brief moment of silence in the grand room, all that could be heard was the jury still, now though whispering to one another. Marceline returned to resting her head in her arms on the table, realising her back-chat didn't help. Bubblegum decided to call an end to the court and ask the jury for their judgement. "Would the jury now please make a decision." They all got up of their seats and entered a room close behind the stands.

* * *

It wasn't long for them to make a decision, they had to have been in the room for no more than five minuets, to Marceline it felt like hours, unable to rest on the uncomfortable surface, her stomach grumbling to consume, with hundreds of thoughts racing through her head and with everybody watching her sit there, judging her.

The jury all sat back down, with only Jake standing, being the spokesman. "You're honor we find the defendant, Marceline Abadeer, guilty for all crimes accused against her." Marceline peeked at them through her thick black hair that shrouded her face, with all her hope drained the moment the words 'guilty' was pronounced. She refused to loose her last ounce of dignity by crying in front of this large group of people, instead just silently sobbed behind the cover of her hair.

Bubblegum knew what came next, part of her didn't want to say it, just encase she was wrong, and she didn't hate Marceline, their relationship was just... complicated. Never-the-less the decision had been made. "Marceline Abadeer the jury has found you guilty, you will continue to remain imprisoned until a execution date is arranged. Banana guard escort her back to her cell."

The guards went to grab her and take her back, but knowing she was dead anyway there was nothing left to loose. With a low screeching hiss, helping her circulate the pent up anger, she jumped off the chair, to her feet and spun around, grabbing the wooden seat with an awkward grip through her cuffed hands, and swung it into the side of the first guard with brutal force.

He fell but the second still moved in to apprehend her, but he underestimated the cuffed vampire, he grabbed her arm and she countered, twisting his then slamming his head onto the table, causing banana to mush out, knocking him out cold.

However she was still far from freedom, about sixteen more banana guard far. Though she was now fueled with adrenalin and the lust for her freedom. Bending down and wielding the iron ball attached her leg, she swung it in a circular motion to her side, turning it into a make-shift flail. The guards were hesitant to approach her as she was dangerous before she had a weapon, even though they had spears that perfectly outmatch her weapon and far more numbers, she still had the fear factor on her side.

Not focusing on him, Jake stepped in and practically turned himself into a thick pile of doughy flesh and encased himself around her, deeming her flail useless once it came into contact, bringing a halt to its swinging momentum. He snuffed out all the air inside; she scratched, bit and screamed in desperation, but soon after her wild attempts to claw her way through his skin, finally passed out. Jake unravelled himself back into his normal form after she stopped moving and the guard begun to move in and drag her back to her cell. Bubblegum was quite frightened when Marceline begun to resist, being a first hand victim to the vampires strength. Now that Jake managed to restrain here though everyone could stop panicking and the court could end.

Congratulating Jake, Bubblegum got off her throne and walked of to the right side of the room towards an archway; half a-dozen servants begun to take apart the court and return the room back to its casual state once she began to leave.

Bubblegum walked through the archway which connected to another long but far more smaller hallway, the hallway led to plenty of rooms, many doors patterned along both walls on her right and left, to a stranger stumbling across this castle, they would get lost in an instance with so many rooms a pathways, but Bubblegum had lived here all her life and practically imprinted every room and their purposes in her brain.

Several doors down, nowhere near the end of the hall, she entered a room on her left, it was quite dim, more light entered in from the hall then out from the room. Only a few candles remained lit, Bubblegum recalled lighting more; she proceeded in shutting the door now making it even darker. Although she knew who was in here, she was kinda freaked out over the atmosphere and what Marceline said.

"Finn?" She whispered, it was so quite she didn't know if he had left the room or not. She picked up the closest candle to guide her, half the room was sheathed in darkness, there was no reply but she could swear someone else was in the room, who else could it be but Finn. The candlelight guided her to the end of the single bed, it was up against the wall but the enormous bed (especially considering its a singular) reached out, almost to the centre of the room, however that being said this wasn't a very large room compared to all the others in the castle.

She stretched her arm out for the candlelight to peek into all the corners of the room, the sight startled her when she looked down to her left next to the bedside. It was Finn, he was sat against the bedside on the floor, staring up at the ceiling, mouth and eyes wide open, pupils dilated, like he was on drugs. In his hand that rested on his waist appeared to be an old picture of him and Marceline from what Bubblegum could tell, had to have been taken quite awhile back before he disappeared, he still looked thirteen in the photo.

Though his eyes were open he was unconscious or at least heavily unaware of his surroundings, he didn't appear to have any injuries on him, Bubblegum worried about such things, she tried waking him. "Finn, Finn... wake up." She shook his shoulder gently, causing his head to sway back and fourth and her whispers gradually tuned louder with each word.

After a short time of repeating herself and getting louder, his eyes contracted, frightened, not knowing or remembering where they were, he rapidly leaned foreword gasping for air and panting heavily in shock, like someone would do when waking up from falling in a dream, or being resuscitated.

For a while he didn't realise Bubblegums hand rubbing his back as he was hunched over, (or that she was even there) to comfort him. He noticed the photo in his leaned posture and quickly tried to cover up its existence from Bubblegum, crunching it up and putting it in his shorts pockets, little did he know she already caught a good glimpse of it before.

Bubblegum put the candle down next to them and placed her hands on his shoulders, massaging them amateurishly, not being experienced, but thought it was a thing people did to comfort others. "Finn, are you... okay?" She spoke softly down to him.

He tried to distract his troubled thoughts about Marceline. "...Y-Yeah, of course... I'm math." He tried his best to make his fake enthusiasm sound authentic, but failed miserably. Unlike Marceline he was always the one who found it difficult to mask over his real feelings.

She looked down at the pocket he put the photo in, she knew about their little encounter in the bathroom, Finn told her a day or two after. "Finn, I know how you feel about her, but..."

He interrupted her, he already sussed out what she had to say. "How could you know? I mean I don't even know myself." It sounded stupid, but it was true. His body didn't know what he was feeling about her; was it love or hatred or... he just didn't know. Part of him wanted. Needed, to talk about it to fix his head straight, but at the same time he loathed doing so.

Bubblegum got up, re-lighting all the burnt out candles in the room, making it bright again, and also opened the shutters while she was at it, letting in fresh air and natural light. Finns eyes widened when she approached the shutters, still the only person who knew about his 'condition' was Marceline. He had to think quickly, of what to say or what to do, he noticed the blue bed sheets hanging besides his shoulders and threw them over him also getting up and turning away from the window.

She opened the shutters letting the sunlight flood in, his face was still exposed but the hat protected the sides of his face enough, it still tingled the exposed skin a little though. Bubblegum turned back around to find Finn strangely huddling himself up in the bed covers not looking at her. She didn't question it, but found it very odd.

"Um, you're right I guess, I don't know, but it doesn't mean I can't help." She said, slowly approaching from behind him, if it was anyone else, she would keep her distance in case they decided to do anything rash, but Finn she was fully confident he wouldn't dare to hurt her, even in such distressed states.

"You don't have to fight your emotions alone, I'll always be there to help you like you've always been there to help me."

Finn started to not feel so hot, a sudden wave of dizziness and disorientation hit him, and the urge - the urge to hit something. He wasn't liking what he felt, it didn't feel normal, he just wanted to hit something, hit Bubblegum, or worse. He could feel her presence getting closer, digging into his back; even though she said nothing to offend him, he just need to...

He needed to get away from her, for her sake; the dizziness was making it harder to control his thoughts, he knew what his urge wanted, yet he knew it wasn't him, it felt alien.

"Bub's I'm not - I gotta go." He said in a serious yet drunken manner, running through his words quickly; she almost didn't understand him, swaying his way over to the door.

"Uh-Wait! Nuh-uh, you need to stay here remember. Finn you're dealing with things you don't know how to cope with, you are being a danger to yourself." She was dumbstruck by his wishes to leave, she knew his mind state could lead to dangerous thoughts, she wanted to monitor him closely.

"Hehe, don't worry Peebles, I'll be back just gotta... do something." He was getting drowsy and started slurring his words a little while also painfully chuckling to himself fanatically, the short stuttered laughter almost came out like a cough, and his breathing gradually got heavier. The excuses he could say evaded his mind making his not-so swift escape even more difficult especially when someone as persistent as PB was on his heels.

"Finn you really need to si..." Bubblegum insisted, grabbed his shoulder, stopping him reaching for the door.

Her touch sent a surge of rage through him, (strange since this was the young woman he used to fantasize about.)

"BUBBLEGUM! PLEASE, I JUST NEE..." Finn spun around at her, arguing to the top of his voice, almost feeling himself lunge; his sanity cracking under the urge he held within; it lit a burn in his chest, and not in a good way. He could feel his fists crunch up and almost swung a hit her way. When he turned to talk to her the sun started to sizzle his face causing it to rash a little, that pain was the least of his problems however.

He could see she was quite frightened, the twirl he performed dislodged her grip on his shoulder, Bumblegum wanted to move back keeping a distance between them, not seeing this side of Finn ever before-however made him unpredictable on what the next move could be. So she remained still, as if he were a cheetah waiting for his prey to run so he can play chase.

Looking in her eyes, noticing her fear made him see what's-what, at least for the moment. He felt like a monster; internally calming himself before he took the chance to speak again, "...I just need too leave... and-and get my head straight... on my own... okay, I'm... I am sorry I shouted-It's not you - I... guh."

The more he went on, the more pointless it sounded, the damage had already been dealt here. With that said and Bubblegum not replying, he left abruptly, presumably for the Tree-Fort.

Bubblegum left with nothing but her thoughts, the more and more she thought about it, The more Marceline's words sounded true.

**Okay probably should have left this here in the first place, but I'm stupid soooo... yeah.**

** I'm mainly writing this because a guest asked in the reviews where the other chapters are at, and since he is a guest, I cannot reply back to him a give him the reason.**

** So to everyone who is also wondering why I haven't posted further chapters is simply because I am quite busy and still writing them. I want to get at least 80 or 90% of them done and ready to be published before I start releasing. The reason the Prologue came so early is because I am using it as a filler/teaser between the end of part 1 (Dark Times Are Coming) and the beginning of part 2 (The End Is Nigh) so you guys wouldn't be left completely hanging this entire time. So its still going to be some time till the chapters are going to be posted, but I'm working as best I can to get them out ASAP. I hope it will be worth your wait.**


	2. C1 Misadventures of Marceline

**So had a slight change of plan, I was going to wait till I was mostly done with the entire story, but that could be awhile, and I don't want everyone waiting forever. So heres the first chapter at least, I'm not sure if I'll put up chapter two in a week or so but its a possibility.**

** Hope you enjoy as always, tell me what you think.**

**Uh, quick heads up, this chapter isn't exactly sunshine and bunnies, so don't go into it unprepared I would say.**

Chapter One: Misadventures of Marceline.

The doors slit open, letting in slithers of blinding white sunlight to illuminate the tunnel they stood in. The banana guard yanked her chains and pushed for her to move forward, she weakly hissed as they tried shoving her forward into the beams. Marceline attempted to cover her face with her hands, the tight shackles one guard each held at her sides didn't allow her to even pull her arms up to the chest.

The guard recollected their orders, seeing the vampire whimper at the sight of day; one of the three guards, specifically the one who wasn't holding the shackles behind her, and kept jabbing with his spear to make her go forward, walked back down the tunnel from where they came.

He was gone a short time; enough time to think of an escape plan? No, everything was in fates hands now. She could hear his footsteps from behind getting closer, echoing through the tunnel, suddenly with one swift action she was blinded; the guard appeared to have put a sack over her head from what she could tell. It was now pitch black, the only sense she had available now was her ears to guide; her nose was already encumbered by the smell of the sack, it was rotten, smelt like trash left out too long in the hot weather. Even breathing through her mouth didn't help since it was strong enough to taste; she felt suffocated, with little-to no air holes to convey in fresh oxygen, the expired fumes began to make her feel heavily nauseous.

Still refusing to go further forward, trying to grind and skid her heels along the floor ahead of them in between her forced steps. She shook and resisted, shouting, only to make mere muffles from under the bag, in an attempt to make them realise her arms were still almost fully exposed, getting closer to the exit, feeling the heat beginning to radiate off the walls. They just thought she was being resistant, like any other prisoner would if they knew what was about to come.

They escorted her out into the sunlight; though blinded, Marceline could immediately tell the moment they walk past the threshold of the shade. Her arms could have been set-alight, there would be no difference, her skin sizzled under the rays, turning from pale to burnt red with a few albino white patches scaring up along her arms; the skin around her shackled wrists, chaffed and shredded from the rusty friction, she collapsed to her knees, unable to take the first waves of rippling torture.

Now she thought what they were about to do to her almost felt like mercy.

The guard lifted the starved, lightweight vampire to her feet once more, pulling on her restrictions that tore into her wrist. A cheer came from the gathering crowd as they saw the broken, accused vampire emerge from the safety of the shade.

Marceline screamed on the way there to best of her throat and lungs content in her damaged state, it was an impressive effort as her loud wails tried to compete, but were easily swallowed under the masses of the crowds cheering, and even further contained under the sack. It soon turned to short-rhythmic, panting moans, distressed in pain, like a dog with a limp in its leg, as her voice box couldn't sustain the screaming any longer, exhausting her capabilities, she passed out under the heat and recycled oxygen in the sack.

Unknown amounts of time had passed but it likely wasn't too long; they wouldn't give her the luxury. She squealed to consciousness, feeling a freeze dousing her back; her arms sizzled the water into vapor, the limbs were almost chard, the nerves inside gave up on transmitting the pain back to the brain.

The crowd around cheered at the happening event, then silence swept over them when the Princess opened her mouth on the so-called stage with Marceline. "Citizens! We are not savages! We do not chant in pleasure and happiness at such an event. We are simply here to witness this evil to be banished from Ooo." Marceline would have chuckled at Bubblegums statement if she was not in so much agony.

Bubblegum crouched beside her, asking so only the two could hear, "Any last words..." She didn't say it in spite, there was no hatred in her voice, it sounded as plain as she could, almost as if she cared for her request; Bubblegum didn't want to focus any kind of emotion into what she was doing.

"Mm-muah... m-maake it – quick-k." Marceline she shivered in pain under the sack, not that it was cold, on the contrary, she was literally roasting.

The princess moved back giving the executioner space to operate. Marceline still didn't know how they planned to murder her, it didn't seem they were preparing for a hanging, it was obviously something brutal, not like a simple injection from one of Bubblegums lethal concoctions, otherwise why the public spectacled?

With the sound of a sword unsheathing and a heavy clang as the tip hit the stage, Marceline knew exactly what her fate was. '_At least it will be quick...'_ she told herself, squinting her eyes shut, even with the sack blinding her. The sword grated along the ground a bit before it stopped, presumable lifted into the air , it sounded heavy, like a claymore. All she could hope for now was a clean cut. Then the shock hit her, a sudden cut down the sack, narrowly missing her left eye. Looking around in desperate confusion as to why, she saw the executioner stood in front of her, he made sure to shadow his face from her, but he had a certain look to him. "U-nugha – ah... arrgh... F-Fi-in?" He was wearing his unmistakable hat as a big give-away.

"...Hmm, hmm-hmm, huhehe-haHaHa! ArHaHaHaaa – Ha – Haaaaah!" He chuckled, trying to hold it in, only to make him burst out in mischievous, demonic laughter.

"..." Marceline just couldn't say anything. Overjoyed to the best of her display, seeing her lover come to rescue her defeated self, and now his... laughing? '_Oh, Oh Glob No..._' She thought; paralysed with her body caving in on itself, it just hit her.

A pair of soul staring, green eyes lit from the shadow, reaching the sword in the air above his head, ripping it back down through the air with the crowd gasping and then...

"**GH**UUuaah – Ghuah... **cough,** Hu-ah-huah! **Clunk.**" Marceline choked on her gasps before she could open her eyes in terror, falling off her bed into a coughing fit on the floor. The sharp, freezing dampness of the stone contacting her sensitive skin further disorientated her senses; though it was cold, her brain mistaken it for burning. Unable to recall this room, she scuttled around and off the floor, back to the safety of her bed. Rubbing and covering her arms with her body only to notice they were not scabbed and boiled by the sun, her nerves were still waking up themselves, couldn't tell the difference between freezing and scorching, making her still think she was inside the horrid nightmare. Her frantic breathing and heart rate began to calm; for a vampire it was impressive if the organ actually beaten a couple times a day, as of this moment it was hammering its way through her ribs. She begun realising where she was again, barely.

The air was chilly and the room was damp, rain water made its way through some cracks of the roughly carved cobblestone walls. It wasn't dark, nor was it bright either, a torch or two were lit far down the hall next to the door that gave access to this cell block.

She didn't have much furniture, ragged straw bed with dirty and ripped fur covers, a sink that was loose on its hinges, almost about to fall, it had rusted over the years and the the bent pipe allowed hardly any water to trickle through it. A cluster of chains hung on the wall her bed rest up against and her area for excrement was left far in the opposite corner behind the sink. The walls grew moss from where the water commonly flowed down; every time she breathed a grey cloud of mist emerged from the mouth.

Examining her cage, getting back her bearings, "Hmnnugh-no-no-no-nooo..." Marceline jolted every half-a-second as she cried internally in her chest, with her legs pulled up against her torso, forehead on her knees, she cradled herself, hitting her back against the wall in the gentle swaying motion. She knew where she was again, wishing she didn't. It had been averagely three weeks since Marcelines incarceration, though she wasn't certain, loosing track on time.

The nightmares were not common, they only happened from time-to-time. They consist of the same things over again, either herself getting executed, or the Lich chasing her in maze, tormenting her. Marceline lifted her head from the knees, leaning up against the wall. Containing the tears, she stroked and combed her scruffy, knotted, midnight black hair, finding comfort in doing so, it helped her mind escape a little.

Being alone for such a time without her necessary feeding needs fulfilled, the isolation was getting to her. Hardly audible, she murmured to herself, "Everything will be... okay. Finn will realise, he-he will fight it a-and come save-m-me." returning her head to her knees, tears swelling up in her throat, "Oh glob Finn please help mee_eeee._.."

Revelations over there times together before this entire mess only sunk a hole deeper in her stomach. A side of her she kept submerged for too long, decided on making a presence. Her voice changed tone, taking a darker turn, filled with spite and self-doubt, "He won't come back! Why would he? He doesn't want you. You're just some lost little girl, a burden on his shoulders. His got everything he needs... his already... already f-forgoten-you-ou-_ou_..." Voice returning back to normal, unable to hold any longer, she bawled tears down her face and legs; Marceline was slowly loosing grip on who she was, she was becoming her own worst enemy.

Her mental stability was fracturing every passing day. Marceline could handle being alone, she was for the most part of her life. This happening again though, she couldn't handle at all. First abandoned, left for dead by her demon lord farther in an apocalypse as he attended to business in the Nigh-O-Sphere. Then watching Simon eventually turn mad, ironically by the thing that kept him alive that long, the crown, and then walked away, leaving her before he hurt her.

Now Finn, yet another person she brought in to her life, ended up sharing immense feelings for, different to the other two, but just as or even more-so stronger and deeper. Making it even worst, she actually confessed those feelings to him.

Of course there was also Ash, but she never actual said she loved him. She was alone and approached by another of her kind - when they crossed paths, she was over the moon and clung to him, then one thing lead to another, and he took advantage.

Now Finn, like all the others was gone, just another sad tale she kept to herself for the rest of her days, however long that may be.

The days just kept passing, She stopped bothering to count, it only made them drag on; what would it matter anyway? More nightmares occurred, more delusional arguments with herself. The amount of red in the meals gradually became unseen. Her straw rag clothing tightly griped her figure the first time she wore it; now it barley hung around her limbs and features, clinging to her defined skeleton under the thin layer of flesh, her trousers had to be aided up with a noose tied round her waist. All the fat from her body was robbed. Unable to do little more then just sit like a corpse, waiting.

She knew someone was coming, she could sense it; could this be it, her time had finally come to an end? No, if this was the day, they would certainly let her know, with a large mob outside cheering and guards marching down the halls to get her. No this person footsteps were quiet its wasn't a guard on patrol, they wouldn't bother being silent, they'll deliberately smash their feet along the stone floor to let you be aware of their presence. However this person wasn't trying to sneak, they were just light-footed. They were about to approach the cell, Marceline pushed aside some of the hair that cloaked her face and obscured her vision, but only moved it to the side of her brow, enough so her eye could peek through.

"Ironic isn't it," The person spoke just before they had reached the cell. "how you tried to save him, and now you are going to die because of him." Finn stood outside Marceline's cell, resting his arms on the bars, his face looking down on on the bleak and dirty stone floor but his swirling, demonic, lime green eyes staring up at her from beneath his eyelids.

He wore his usual outfit but with the addition of a patchwork hooded cloak that looked as if it was made out of potato sacks stitched together; his hat was pulled off his hair (although it was unnoticeable due to the hood) and worn further up his face, like a balaclava. And lastly his normal shoes were swapped for dark brown leather boots that looked perfect for sneaking around; it didn't seem that he was given permission to come down here to visit.

Finn wasn't in the room however, only his shell. "Maybe under different circumstances I would have grown to like you, girl. But you'd just have been a roach in my boot. You're just a squabbling child like this one I have the displeasure of possessing; crying and whining over insignificant matters!" The Lich sounded dreaded, he was fed up with his puppet already.

Marceline hadn't talked to someone (or something) other than herself in a while. With his sudden appearance, masquerading as Finn she didn't know how to really respond, in fact this was all so surreal, it had to have been a dream. Thinking she called it out and his presence building an anger climbing up her chest, she roared at the imposter, "**Arrgh**. Get OUT of my HEAD!"

Unshaken by her unstable persona, he actually found it amusing, chuckling at her fragile mentality. "Oh but I am right here, girl, don't let the looks fool you, this is as real as it gets. I'm not just some part of your fractured imagination; I'm your living, breathing nightmare. Has the cage broken you already? I thought a tough demon like you was used to such... accommodations..."

She wished he would go away, his presence was breaking her barriers between telling dream from reality. He could tell just standing outside her cell unsettled her, given him even more reason to persist and torment.

"I just wanted to have one last chat before you leave this world. The end is nigh for you. Oh-hehe, but don't worry, little monster, you won't be alone, this pathetic excuse for a world will soon follow. Hmm, daddies little monster – the truest words Hunson ever spoke about you." The Lich held an uncontrollable menacing grin stretch across his jaw as he taunted her in the cell; she could only imagine how horrid it would look if he was in his actual form. He had every reason to be in a good mood, the plan was playing out perfectly.

Feeling the instinct to rip him to shreds, she downplayed the thought, knowing there was no way she could in this current state. But she just wanted it all to go away, the insults, his voice, his appearance,"Why don't you just... kill me?" she asked, almost sounding like she was begging for it.

"Ahaha-so short sighted, girl." Rattling the cell door as he pushed his face harder against the iron, "The cage won't save you, I'll rip a hole in there and tear you asunder before you could even begin a feeble attempt at fighting back... I'll carry you out into a field and feed your fragile tainted skin to the SUN! And then let the maggots finish what's left! But no. Why don't I kill you? Because I already have, remember; no point doing the extra work..." The grim smile still remained hung across his face. "You see I don't just kill for the sake of killing, I kill because I take pleasure from killing; so now and again its nice when I can mix thing up a little. I would just be selfish if I had all the fun. Instead of me slaughtering all of you, why not let you turn against each other." He talked about it as it was a common sport, and clearly took pride into what he was doing.

"Hehe, got a bit ahead of myself there. I said all of you like you were one of them..." Upholding the line of low insults.

Faint banter between two guards from the other hall begun to get louder as they approached, to inspect the cells. "Anyway, got to go and set things in motion, keep mine and Finns secret safe will you," He chuckled, "although its not like they would believe you anyway." He made sure to remind her. "Not long now, your part will be played soon enough, hehe." On that note he left the other way. There was no door that end of the hall, must have been a grate for him to escape down, avoiding the guards. Yet again leaving Marceline on her own in the cold, bitter darkness, not even able to release her pent up anger on a wall or the sink, too weak to do so; besides the guards will likely punish her if she did, putting even less red in her meals if that was virtually possible. She locked it away loosely inside with all the rest of her fragile emotions, for someone else to accidentally set it free.

**A bit of a downer this chapter, but she hasn't been executed... yet, there's still hope for her, right?**

**Any questions or anything, go ahead and PM them to me, and even better leave a juicy review.**


	3. C2 OLLESYBTV

**I did rush this chapter out a tad bit faster than most others (although it may not seem that way from your perspective) so if I made any errors or mistakes then _would you kindly_ point them out so I can fix them. Thank you.**

**(R/R and enjoy)**

Chapter Two: ...Or Live Long Enough to See Yourself Become The Villain...

"I... I have to... Nugh, have to tell her... warn her." Finn stumbled through the Candy forest sickly, holding his stomach. Appearing to be talking to himself, he needed to stay focused and keep reminding himself of the task at hand. He was heading in the direction of the Candy kingdom, on the singular road; it was dark out, had been for a while since he left the tree fort to warn the Princess of his danger.

"Gotta get to her... Sh-she'll know what to do." Finn left Jake in bed at home, he didn't want to make a bigger deal out of this than it had to be, besides he felt much better as he was leaving the fort; though he didn't quite grasp the gravity of his situation and as the journey down the road dragged on, he felt control slipping away. Having small delusions slip in and out of his head, some causing him to draw a sword just from the sound of brushing leafs in the wind. He kept talking, it was the only way to focus.

"Hehehe" A crooked laughter echoed through his thoughts. Finn stomach sank, and breathing amplified from the haunting chuckles. He picked up the pace from speed-walking to almost sprinting, he knew what was coming, the voice he has battled and tried to suppress in the deepest depths of his mind for the past couple of weeks. He heard about things like this, when you loose someone you love people don't take it well and things start happening to them, he thought this was one of those things; at the start at least. Then he soon discovered that wasn't it, this was the voice of an old adversary that was trying to break him and take control.

"Yes. Keep going, take me to your beloved princess. I'd love to meet her again..." The Lich knew what Finn intended, even if he didn't keep saying it out loud, the Lich read his thoughts the moment they formed and pulsed through his head; the Lich knew everything Finn did before Finn even knew himself. Finn tightened his eyes shut, trying to block out the Lich's words. "Are you not enjoying my company, boy; am I not entertaining you enough? Well there will certainly be quite a show when we arrive at the kingdom." The undead voice waved from a casual inquiry, to dark grim threats. The Lich was enjoying this, he toyed the young man with every word he spoke.

"**Argh**, what d-does that mean? I won't let y-ou... hurt them - I won't let you use me..." The determined hero tried to keep his willpower strong and mind on track. The pestering voice made it no easy task. He could get on his nerves, quite literally, causing him waves of pain through his body he had never experienced before.

"Finn... you don't have a choice..." The voice spoke down on the panicking hero. Finn's heart raced from the sprinting and seeing the castle tower in the distance, perched over the fluffy pink trees against the night sky. It was far away, but Finn could point out the Princesses quarters, it was one of the few rooms in the tower that still had light coming from inside, out the window.

"Ah, sweet Bubblegum..."

"Wha-uh, Argh. How did you..." He was puzzled, raising his pitch as he felt his defences been breached.

"I would have thought you caught on by now, I live inside you feeble brain. I know everything you say before you say it, everything you think, before your mind can even process it. Right now, you are glad - relieved even, that she is still awake at this hour; not wanting to bother her precious sleep. It's a good thing for us both, now she can witness the full terror as you bash her door open and you plunge a sword, slowly and delicately through her stomach, missing all her vital organs so she can stay with us long enough, and she stares at you in disbelief, wanting to ask 'why?' but can't from the excruciating..."

"STOP! Get out and fight me you coward! I won't do what you want!" Finn had enough of the Lich's mind games, trying to break the young man's spirit, he stopped in the middle of the road, pulling out his sword, gripping it tightly in his sweaty palms, preparing for his foe to make an appearance in front of him.

"Haha. Oh but Finn, your doing everything to plan so far, why stop now?" The Lich continued grating croaked words within the safety of Finn's head.

"No-no-no-no! I won't do it, you can't make me! I just-t have to... **Arrrgh!** I can fight you back! You can't have me any more! **Argh-je-uaah!**" Finn burrowed his short nails, deep into his forehead to help him focus.

Quickly becoming bored of the messing, watching the young man fail at trying to find a way to get him out, the Lich still had a job to do, and planned to do it tonight. "You're wasting time, boy... and exerting energy, energy that I can use. Its pointless to fight me. One way or another, I'm taking control, you can either be a good puppet and submit, or I'll tangle your most sensitive nerves and cease you're heartbeat until you let me take it..." The Lich echoed in his thoughts, in an attempt to drop Finns moral and mental state so he can fully wield Finn as his weapon.

"I can-n get you-u out!" He strained on his words. "I-I can be-eat you... every... thing can be beaten! You won't make me do it!"

"ENOUGH! You snivelling speck of bacteria! Your mine! Your body is mine! Your brain is mine! Your memories, your skills, all mine! Learn that you are my puppet, your actions are my will! Now march into that freak city and demolish everything with my blessing!" Finn still stood, unmoved by the Lich's rant. The Lich growled in his defiance, as a result he dug his skeletal claws deep into

Finn's head, tugging at his soft grey matter (metaphorically speaking), taking control of the young man's body against his will once more. Finn grunted and howled in attempts to fight off his invader, but the agony was too much to endure. He had never been able to overcome the Lich's grasp in the past, but he would never simply give in.

"Now, as punishment... you will watch all you hold dear... burn to ashes. Every last citizen will cry in fear before they are perished by your hands; and I will saver your 'adored princess' till the end. She too can watch everything she swore to uphold and protect crumble to the ground, and will see you were responsible for it. She will regret ever trusting you. Every moment you both spent will be a sickness in her memory, you will be the biggest mistake of her life. She will look upon you once more, unable to speak from such a betrayal... and she will beg for death, not wanting it by your hand, but what choice will she have, hmm? And that sight will be her last sight on this plagued world... Maybe I won't give her the mercy of the sword, I'll feed her my fires instead, I wonder how she would melt?..." Finn was paralysed to resist as the Lich gutted him with the blood-curdling details. He got comfortable wearing Finn's body as a piece of armor again, stretching and contracting the limbs and muscles of the much younger and able body he wielded. Wringing his hands getting used to the movement and the fact they still have skin, he slanted his shoulders forward and marched.

"Ah, and I almost forgot the demon wench. As a kindness for her 'help' in my grand scheme, I will leave her to rot in the dungeons, but before that, she will smile from the sounds and screams of the ones who imprisoned her." Now the Lich was in control of the body, he could feel Finn hammering for a way out inside. "**Ereh**! be still and watch, we are almost there. I told you it was pointless to resist me, boy. You have only made your friends fates far more treacherous." With the the city gates in sight the Lich grinned, pulling up his hood to shadow his mystic, looming green eyes, and sheathing his arms underneath the cloak looking down at his feet.

Approaching the two banana guard on the city-gate watch, one of the guards observed and asked, "Hey Finn, is that you? We havn't seen you in awhile, what's with the new outfit?" before the guard got an answer, Finn shoved past them, entering the city. The two guards shrugged at each other, and returned to their gate keeping.

"Hmm, not many people up at this hour. What-do-you say we pay the princess a visit, she could use some company to distract her studies. Then she can wake up her kingdom, with little persuasion, and watch the show." Finn was exhausting himself trying to fight the Lich, even though he wasn't (and couldn't) moving a muscle, and he had no choice to watch the coming events, having no command over his eyes, everything the Lich wanted him to see, Finn saw.

He walked up the stairs to the castle; turning the attention of various banana guard on patrol. Before they could question his appearance, like the ones at the gate. The Lich shoved open the castle door, not bothering with subtleties now he infiltrated inside, every step he took had weight to it, he wanted them to know he was there. He was stopped close to the end of the throne room by a few guard. "Uh, Finn, the princess is busy in her room and, uh, she told us she didn't want anyone bothering her unless its urgent. Anyway, uh, why don't you visit the kingdom no more, people have been worried, and Jake tells us nothing, he only talks to the princess."

The Lich peeked his eyes from underneath the hood, and over his shoulder. "This is far more urgent than you could comprehend."

Now uneasy, the guard asked, "W-what is it," he noticed the green flare from his eyes in the shadow, "um... are you okay?... Actually I'll go get the princess, I'm sure her studies can wait..."

"No stay... You'll be needed soon..."

"Um-uh... needed... needed for what?" The guard stuttered, he didn't like the sound of 'Finn's' tone.

With the guards carefully moving in closer for a better look at his face, the Lich replied, "Needed for the battle of course. The kingdom is under attack..." He quickly turned, punching one guard in surprise, knocking him back into his comrades, then cooking them all, bursting out a gusts of green flames over the unexpecting guards. As they rolled in anguish, in a attempt to extinguish their third and fourth degree burns; the Lich took a step back with his hands out in front of him and the burning guardsmen weeping in the background, admiring the capable abilities of his new agile form, thinking, '_I've still got it._'

Finn watched in disgust behind the curtains of his forced open eyes, seeing the Lich use his body to perform his biding; the hero was still fuelled by determination to find a way back to the pilot seat, seeing what he did to the guards made his attempt ever more dire, as he knew where the Lich was heading next.

More defenders of the kingdom poured through the main doors into the throne hall, after hearing the strange noises inside, finding the would-be 'Finn' standing over the corpses of their banana brethren. It took them a while to make any move; they couldn't comprehend the acclaimed hero doing such a irrational crime. After they knew their eyes were not deceiving them, the plentiful numbers of guardsmen drew their honed spears and swords, proceeding inwards, forming a circle best they can around the cornered (thought-to-be) 'Finn'.

The Lich muttered so only Finn could hear, "Hmm, the princess can wait awhile longer, it seems these freaks want to play first... and I could use more practice..." As horrible as it sounded, it was a good thing that the Lich was focusing his time on the banana guards; it gave Finn more time to find a way back before he reached her.

Before a guard could even announce his arrest, he jumped on an unlucky individual, riding him to the ground, rolling over his flat face, back to his feet, now out of their parameter the guards made. "Very flexible; hehe, this will be fun..."

One guard took the charge with a spear in hand, taking a jab at the possessed body; with a fast reacting dodge backwards, he grabbed the spear pulling the guard forward into a clothes-line.

Another built the courage to attack, he swung a sword for 'Finn's' face; he ducked beneath, leaped towards the guard, and snapped his neck still in mid-swing. Finn's body could move at flash speeds, he was practically a superhuman, with the combination of his own agility, the Lich's powers and vampiric strength and speed, he was almost an unstoppable force.

The by-standing guards stood frozen in awe and dismay; they had never seen such speed and agility, taking someone else down so swiftly, not breaking a sweat, it was a game to him. The Lich knew he had gained an audience, it only made him want to 'impress' them further.

The guard finally started to smartly attack him in waves, but still remained unmatched. Launching lime napalm fireballs into an approaching guard until he fell, spinning around, performing a whirlwind kick on a rear-side attacker, then plunging his burning fist into two others, filling their torsos with deep smoking holes.

Unaware of one sneaking up behind him, he narrowly maneuvered out of harms way, managing to cut his cloak slightly. In the spur of the moment the Lich switched with Finn; the hero was dazed and confused, suddenly in control again, with a sword running his way, he stalled "**Gasps**. Ahhhhhh! Wait-waitwait, its me-e... **argh**!" With Finn's small distraction the Lich switched again, taking advantage of the guards confusion to Finn's sudden pleas.

The small interior battle lasted little more then three minuets, with the Lich fighting off the final few who didn't run, on top of the dozens of fallen banana guard. They were encircled by flames, so the last of them couldn't run if they chose to, he picked them off easily one-by-one. Barley tired after the last man fell, the Lich telepathically doused his conjured flames.

"That was the kingdoms finest?" He scoffed, with also a little disappointment from lack of a more challenging fight. "How does this place even stand?... Anyhow, enough stalling, I'm sure the princess has been informed of our arrival, lets go pay a visit shall we..." He exited the throne room to the side, before reinforcements shown up, he had his fun but now it was time for business. The Lich used what he could of Finn memories walking through the castle, to navigate a way to his goal easier.

After climbing several staircases and traversing through plenty long corridors and large rooms, all sharing the pink theme, he arrived at the hall to the princesses quarters. Waiting for him was a platoon of royal guards that protected this hallway being accessed by any intruders. Much less numbers than the ones he fought in the throne room, but these were better trained and disciplined, kitted out with high grade gear. Alas they were still not a match to the combination of the Lich's dark powers and Finn's strong, yet agile vessel.

The Lich showed no hesitation towards the masses of defenders; he kept his focus on the door to Bubblegums grand quarters in the middle of the hall. Slowly approaching, with his goal in sight, he did not rush; the calmness of his assault intimidated the trained guardsmen as he didn't stutter a step walking towards the formatted wall they made with their shields.

The closer he got he began to clasp his hands shut, charging an emitting force, pulsing from his palms. The guards gulped from the silence, unable to anticipate what he planned to do. He reached their wall of men, inches away from their shields, and at the tip of their spears. He chuckled to himself, watching the sweat drip from their brow, before he threw his arm up, palm-punching the shield releasing the pulsing energy, causing a cascading force through their line of defence, shattering most of their equiptment, clearing a path for the Lich, knocking them down to the ground, dropping their weapons, causing some to go unconscious. "Simpletons..." He mocked.

Now with nothing left between him and the princess, but a measly, presumable locked door that he could shatter, he prepared his powers, until, "FINN! What in Glob's funking name are you doing!?"Jake shouted from down the hall, breaking his voice a little in his words. An unwanted distraction, the Lich turned the attention of his powers towards Jake, firing a charge of force and burst of fire his way. Jake stretched his body, spiralling around the incoming projectiles '_Whoa, where'd he get that magic!?_'

"Finn, its me, your buddy, your brother Jake! Snap outta it!" Jake sounded over the Lich's barrage of flinging more fireballs his way, a couple hitting him, he continued tanking on to stop 'Finn's' madness, until he reached a knotted himself around the young man, restraining his arms tightly to his sides. "Buddy, look at me I'm not going to hurt you, just stop acting crazy, do you even realise what you have done!?"

The Lich growled in fury. "Get... off..me-MUTT!..." The Lich scorched fire in his tied up hands, against Jakes skin, causing the dog to yelp and loosen his grip. Arms free the Lich grabbed Jake reeling in his tangled body, then threw him through the door, into Bubblegums quarters, smashing a long vertical hole down its centre.

"Heha! At last. I hope you are paying attention boy." This was it, Finn felt like he was going to pass out, he wanted to in fact. But he couldn't without his body, everything felt like it was slowing around him, his brain was regretfully taking in every detail, he was powerless to stop any of this, he felt so destroyed.

"Hello Swee-**Arghar**!" Poking his head through the broken door, he was greeted with a blinding, disorientating flash of light. Bubblegum tossed some sort of make shift flash-bang in her last resort, impairing the Lich's vision, stumbling forward inside the room with arms out in front of him, Bubblegum punched him in the face, knocking the hood back, revealing Finn's gruelling possessed appearance.

He stumbled around the room, dazed, trying to spot Bubblegum through his visually impaired eyes. "Heha, but princess its me... I'm here to save you... Why don't you come closer so I can see you..."

She stood shaken and watched as he blindly tried to find her, she could see it in his eyes, it wasn't Finn. He took a second to listen, he could hear her panicked breathing she tried to muffle, and made his way over to the sound of her breath. She stood still as possible, hoping he would just walk past, she didn't realise the noise she was making, now standing right beside her, she took a slow step back, but he knew exactly where she was now. Grabbing by the shoulders he pulled her closely against him, trying to hold her still as she squirmed and struggled, he pushed his weight down on her, forcing her down on the knees. "Why are you so eager to run princess? It's me, Finn, your hero." He laughed sourly. Smelling the fringe of her hair, exhaling a sigh of delight, knowing Finn was watching everything he wanted him to see, he chuckled before he continued.

"Hehehmm. Its a shame it has to end like this for you _sweet_ Bubblegum, but its all for a greater good. Now lets go watch the kingdom burn. And don't think I forgot about you sweetheart, you have your own personal show awaiting you after the screams have stopped, you just have to sit back, be patient, and enjoy the current one I'm about to put on." He started pulling her by the arm, heart pounding trying to think of what to do and adrenaline pumping, with fight or flight kicking in, she still didn't hesitate yanking her arm free from his grip. Before he could turn she kicked him with all her might in his side, causing him to tumble over slightly, loosing his balance, stumbling to the window ledge, he fell over the side, plummeting down to the streets below.

Gasping, appalled of her actions, still holding care for Finn's safety, she may have just killed him. Bubblegum ran up to the ledge looking down onto the streets. A thin puddle of blood-dragged in the direction of the city gates with maniacal, disembodied, strained laughter off in the distance. Still frantic from the heat of the moment, Bubblegum skidded over the Jakes groaning on the floor and yelled for answers, "Jake! What the bjork was that! What on Ooo is going on. Why is Fi..."

"Princess... I'm... just as confused as you are... Now could you help me out?" Bubblegum took in a deep breath, and out again, soothing out the built up energy in that spur of the moment encounter she had no clue what was going on; and she hated not knowing what was happening before her. But she had to think about all this later, right now Jake was in need of aid. He slithered up into his normal form so Bubblegum could help him. She lifted him into her arms and over onto her enormous bed, supporting his head up on a pillow.

"How is the rest of the kingdom? Was Fi.. he coming just for me?" She asked, unable to shake the feeling that this was her fault somehow

"I don't know Peebles, but allot of the banana dudes are pretty beat up badly." Jake replied in discomfort, he was just as lost in all this as she was.

"Oh glob! Jake do you mind if I..."

"No, sure, go ahead, I'll be fine, I just need to relax."

Looking back before she left the room, "I'll bring some stuff for you wounds when I get back, okay?"

Jake nodded, turning on his side, curling up on the bed like he does in his draw at the tree fort, hold and rubbing some of his bruises and aches.

PB went on to scourer the castle to help get the wounded guards escorted to the hospital.

* * *

Sprinting with a limp back through the great candy forests, Finn (back in control) struggled in his retreat from the kingdoms pursuing banana guard. He had a deep graze on the side of his forehead, and other bloodied cuts and bruises caused by the fall, his leg took a big hit, possible fracturing a bone, and certainly sprained his ankle. Finn howled in every step it brought him to hop on his left leg when he had to. His last footing heard a crack and twinged; he fell loosely, holding below his knee, pressuring the pain.

"**Ahh-Arrghmn!** I-I can't..." He cried, "I can't do it. My leg... it hurts!" He moaned through his teeth rolling in the dirt, tightly gripping his broken area. The Lich sighed at Finn's whining. "Hold your hand still boy..." Finns palm erupted with a warm tingly, numbing feeling; kinda like pins and needles. After it built up, it released into his leg, moaning from the weird sensation of magic flowing out of his hand into his leg. The flow stopped, the sensation was over; Finn extended out his leg, testing its ability.

"How did you?... I thought you killed things, not healed them." For him being his nemesis and all, these actions were strange, enemies are meant to fight each other, not be aiding. He didn't like it; it put a hole in his heroic codes he has abided by for years, the Lich was no traditional foe, he turn many of Finns rules upside-down. One of them being the fact that he is helping the enemy himself and another, putting innocent lives in danger. All these conflicts in his head didn't help keep his mind straight.

"Please, how do you think I have lasted this long? You think my body just held itself together all those years. Don't get used to it though, I not going to keep repairing you forever..." Reminding the hero it was not an act of kindness.

Torch light could be hardly seen through the many trees and branches, ordering shouts off in the distance sounded closer, the guard was hot on their tail like an angry mob driving a monster out of town.

"Come on boy, get moving, they're after us. They will throw you into the same cesspit they keep that mental, broken, vampiric demon of yours."

Finn was exhausted and wanted to argue back to the Lich insulting her, but he was too beat up and had to run from the guards, they likely won't give him mercy, even if he explained. So he obeyed the Lich's orders: to run south, to the Badlands, were they couldn't find him. At least there he would be a danger to no one...

**I'll try and get chapter 3 out next week like I did with this one, but don't count on it**. **I'm still writing the story as these go out and I don't want the chapters catching up so close to were I'm at, I like a little breathing room, 2-3 chapters of breathing room specifically.**

**P.S The chapter title was a bitch to squeeze in, but me gusta.**


	4. C3 To be Treated Like a Queen

**Meep**

Chapter Three: To be Treated Like a Queen

Two weeks later.

Marceline was sleeping, hovering over her bed seeing as there was no need to lye down, not that she would want to anyway, on that infested, uncomfortable bed. She shivered and twitched, sweating profusely all over, it dripped down, soaking in the bed below, yet another nightmare she had to endure. Her figure was thinned down to the bone, her brittle body had scattered, deep purple bruises in various locations, mostly along her arms. There was a set of bite marks in her right wrist above the artery, were she desperately attempted to get a small fix of redness in her system only to spit out the lifeless essence in disgust.

When she wasn't sure she was in a dream or reality, she scratched her sharp claws, deep into her skin to know. The nuisance sink didn't last long in her presence, it was torn from the hinges and thrown up against the wall opposite the bed, she turned to her new source of drinking water, the rain water that made its way down from the surface through the cracks in the wall. She could feel her sanity on the tipping point, on the verge of going feral, though she fought it, having more dignity in herself to not allow her being to turn into a mindless nocturnal creature.

The echoing slam shut from the cell block door awoke Marceline, jumping out of her skin, though she was grateful to have left the nightmare. Loud footsteps marched their way over with haste; had to be two maybe three people, this was it, the end of the line. She shivered over the bed in the corner, pressed up against the wall and chains; she tried oh-so desperately to transform into a werewolf or her tentacle form, this was the last opportunity to fight. The attempts only exerted her last remnants of energy, now even more vulnerable, so-much-so, she was now even struggling to sustain hovering, and even clung to the wall to help hold herself from falling. She panted as her heart began to race again, she always thought she'd never fear death, but was clearly expressing mortal terror.

Until she heard a woman with a high pitch voice command the doors to be opened. "Open it." Princess Bubblegum ordered. A banana guard jingled the keys in his hand trying to find the right one for the lock as Bubblegum and Jake waited patiently outside the cell looking in at the frightful vampire. Marceline pressed up further in the corner, clinging to the chains, still nervous like a stray cat. Her jaw hanged from the sight of Bubblegum, she may have been pink but that was still an edible shade, her eyes flared hungry red, from the need to feed. Bubblegum could see Marceline staring, not moving her eyes to no one else but the princess, she could see her hunger, unnerving, even with iron bars between them.

"Uh, Jake," Bubblegum whispered, nudging his side, also slyly signalling the guard to stop with a brief hand gesture. Still remaining her eye contact back at Marceline.

"Hmm?" took his focus of the vampire, looking up at PB.

"I think we may have to go through with the sedation plan. She won't stop gawking at me like a piece of food." She tried not moving her mouth, whispering through her teeth, so the vampire couldn't read her lips and catch wind of what she planned on doing.

"Whatever you say." She opened up a rectangular box behind her back, Jake took out a syringe filled with blue liquid. "Uh, do you want me to shrink down and go in?" Still whispering.

"Yes." She simply replied.

"But-uh, won't she see me?" He asked, not fully in favour of this approach, especially since he was the one who had to do it.

"I think she is a bit too focused on me right now to care **Jake**." Bubblegum said, looking back into the vampires deep red glare, almost hypnotising.

"Hmmm..." He grumbled nervously before shrinking down slightly bigger than the syringe, hauling it over his shoulder. He approached the bed, realising this plan wasn't solidly thought through, she was securely pressed in the corner. She'd definitely see him climb the bed and try to stab her. He signalled the princess, hopping up and down in an S.O.S type manner, she could see the problem.

Bubblegum gulped thinking of an idea, she stepped up to the cell leaning her elbows on a horizontal bar sticking the most part of both her arms inside to ensnare the hungry, timid vampire.

Marceline's heart now pumped with anticipation with so much red so close, its been too long, and the tease was too much to resist. With tunnel vision on the prize, her instincts obscured, impotent to sense the obvious ploy to get her out of the corner. Unable to resist, she floated down on the bed, getting off, placing her bare feet onto the cobble, almost squishing Jake before he rolled the syringe and himself out of the way, underneath the bed.

The cell wasn't that long, Marceline was about five steps away from the bares, she staggered over, holding one arm over her stomach, the other half-reached out for Bubblegum. Jake grew behind her, quietly, otherwise the stealth aspect would be ruined, with about two steps away Bubblegum pulled her arms through out of the cell. Marceline scowled as she could see her prey retreating back; she closed the gap with a freakishly fast dash, escaping Jakes preparation to subdue her. Marceline quickly pulled Bubblegum back in, before she could get out of reach, and without a moment to spare, sunk her teeth into the arm she grabbed.

PB's eyes widened with disbelief, in shock and awe of how the feeble vampire became a blur and managed to close the gap within a microsecond, everything was happening so fast, she only just noticed she was being fed upon, "JAAA**AAKE**!" She squealed out, watching her colour drain down her arm into Marceline's fangs. Her arm was growing limp as the grey climbed up replacing the pink coloured flesh, the banana guard tried to pull her away but to no avail.

Marceline clenched her eyes shut in the bliss of the feed, with moans of pleasure escaping the sides of her mouth, after so long, she could feel her veins flow again with fresh essence. Feeling her body surge with life again she reeled Bubblegum in further, getting a much more solid grip, straining the princess's shoulder and chest against the bars.

Jake ran up behind Marceline injecting the needle in her neck. Feeling the pinch disconnecting her from the moment, Marceline opened and looked, seeing a syringe hanging from the side of her neck. Feeling Jakes presence behind her, and fuelled with new life flowing through her body, she felt an old score had to be settled. Detaching from Bubblegum, Marceline turned her attention to the dog locked in with her.

"I'm going to squish and smear you over these wall you mutt!" Prepering to annihilate Jake, she felt a sudden hiccup in her senses, the adrenalin rush was crashing, the room started to blur and sway.

Yanking the syringe dug in her neck, "What the fuck - did _you_... I'm gon_na_... _gon... tear you..._ **guuuuh**..." She passed out, falling face on the floor.

Jake swiped his brow with a sigh of relief, any longer and he would have been minced meat. Hopping over her flat-out unconscious body, Jake squeezed his reshapable body back on the other side of the bar's, attending to Bubblegum. Her arm was limp and grey halfway up, colour replenished, flowing back down through it, slowly, it was just like waking to a dead arm after sleeping on it all night. The pins and needles tingled along the current, as the nerves in her arm awoken again. The bumps of her swelled bite-marks throbbed with bruising ache, pressuring her other available hand over them, a build up of hurt swelled inside, she wanted to jerk a tear. On the contrary, Bubblegum was a strong woman, many people seemed to forget when looking at her structure, though it hurt, she would not cry to drown her damage.

"Peebles, you okay? Oh glob your not going to turn are you?" Jake asked apprehensively, unsure on the know-how of vampirism.

Bubblegum wasn't too educated in that area herself, but she reassured him, "I'm fine Jake, she was just... um-feeding?" '_Is that what she calls it?_' She asked herself. "I don't think I can contract her condition through those means." She hoped.

Seeing that he didn't know much about it, and Bubblegum is fare more intellectual than him, Jake took her word for it. "Errm, well now what?" He asked, looking into the cell. "Do you still want to release her, I mean..."

Bubblegum interrupted, his attempts trying to stir up her thoughts was unneeded; she knew the morally correct thing to do, and planned to stick with it. "Jake, we are still going through with it, okay. It's our fault she is like this; this whole mess could have been avoided if we just listened."

Jake gritted his teeth, while looking at the slumped girl. He didn't dare question Bubblegum, but he wasn't willingly following her decisions.

The guard unlocked the cell, walking in, flipping Marceline onto her back, grabbing her ankles, waiting on Jake to lift her upper body. Jake followed in behind, adjusting his height so when he lifted Marceline, she wouldn't be grazing her backside along the floor. He leaned down, sliding up to his antecubital, below her armpits, hoisting her with his upper arm strength, though she was much lighter than he anticipated, loosing allot of body weight since the last time he had to carry her somewhere.

"Okay guys, you know where to take her, right?" Bubblegum quizzed, still rubbing her aching wrist.

"Yeah, we know. What should we do if she starts to wake up again?" Jake thought to ask.

"If she shows any signs of gaining consciousness before I'm there, call me immediately. If she is about to wake up and I'm still not there in time, strap her down." Bubblegum walked off, ahead of the two carrying the limp girl. Spinning around on spot, adding extra information. "I won't be too long, I just have to prepare some equipment and make some arrangements." The two nodded, and she continued to walked down the narrow, one way hall that lead along the many dungeon cells, to the exit of the cell block.

* * *

Head swirling, muscles slightly spasmed to the feeling of regaining consciousness. Sickly inhaling a breath to waken her, feeding her brain more oxygen, Marceline blinked open her eyes, still remaining them half shut; the anesthetic still hadn't fully worn off, keeping her remained in a sleepy stasis. Her mind was working slow, trying to piece together where she was, what was happening, and what was strapped to her face, soon to make out what it was, a breathing mask. The pipes and tubes led her sight to an ECG machine (electrocardiodiagram, basically the giant heart monitors), she was hooked up to, noticing she really had little to no pulse at all, the line was close to flat, only to bump up slightly every-so often. On the other side of the bed she found herself in, a blood-bag feeding her arm small doses of blood; presumable the reason why she looked much healthier than before.

Her skin was still pale, but turned back to its usual state, just a few shades darker, hair too regained a bit of colour oddly, it appeared much more conditioned and was its natural midnight black, with few dark mauve streaks cutting through it, all the dead and some grey roots had gone. And her physic had restructured from her anorectic appearance back to slim after being fed the right and necessary amount of her vital life fluids.

Hoisting herself up with abdominal muscles, she took the mask off, looking around the room. She was certain she was in hospital, or could it be a testing lab? A bit panicked, wondering what they were planning to do with her, wondering why they are trying to keep her alive and bring her here; for experiments, for torture? Unable to figure the answer, and frankly, not wanting to find it, she started the pluck the stickers and wires that attached her to the ECG off her torso, beneath her hospital gown.

The machine begun to perform its unmistakeable, bland, constant beeeeep, as it registered her as flat-lined. Once all the stickers were off, she was too, taking the drip from her arm, grabbing the bag, finishing off, the ripe blood inside. She felt great; drinking red was one thing, but blood was almost the vampire equivalent of a meal and energy drink in one. The last time she fed on blood, a mortals blood was on Finn in the cave, that moment wasn't the greatest to admire and enjoy the sensations of its full effect. Now though was perfect, she felt renewed, and planned on using that energy to escape.

Her amazing feeling was crashed upon, with Jake slamming his way through the double-doors into the room, shouting, "Oh Grod! Oh Grod! Oh Grod!" He had the banana guards at his side. The vampire queen smirked, with all that fear inside vanquished, all that was left was a anger, and the hunger for revenge. "You brought all these guys to put down a lonesome, captive, hospitalised _girl_? Haha, you are so gonna need **allot** more than that..."

"FIRE!" It was that voice again, the same squeaky, high pitched one that when it spoke something bad followed.

The front-line of guards all equipped filtration masks, including Jake; bringing out small launchers. They all fired a single round, launching a small silver cannister that landed and rolled up to her feet. She shielded her face, expecting something to happen, but no. The guards remained in position, looking over at her; she uncovered her eyes to examine what they did exactly.

"Uhhhh-wha?" She picked one up, only to hear a faint hissing from gas releasing from the inside. Feeling dizzy again, she felt herself slowly going under like before, "Uh... not this again... why – why don't.. you_ just... fight me..._? **Guh**"

"Erm, so Peebles why didn't we do that before?" Jake asked, wondering why he had to put himself at risk earlier.

"Its still a prototype Jake, I didn't know if they would work." She said casually, not really taking in what she just told him. He looked at her with worry in his eyes, realising that if these gadgets didn't work...

Flopping down to her knees, then over on her back, her head circled, trying to keep her eyes open and fight the sleeping gas that invaded he body. The last sight she saw was Bubblegum leaning over her with a gas mask on, saying something to Jake, she couldn't understand what was being said, everything was one big blob of sound; unable to fight it any longer, Marceline succumbed to the gas, and slept.

* * *

"_Marceline... Marceline..._" She heard her name being whispered through her drowsy ears, her head was in waves; the sleep gas still holding a small effect even hours after she inhaled it. Letting out a small disappointing grunt, wanting to drift back for more sleep, she opened up her eyes to see who it was that called her. She frowned, slightly puzzled when she saw the princess leaned over Marceline from the bedside, looking down on vampire, with her arms crossed behind her back.

Marceline was attempting to form a question, her sleepy state didn't allow such action, it only came out as a couple more grunts, um's and uh's. Bubblegum helped her fixed some of the unspoken questions Marceline hoped on asking before her twisted tongue betrayed her speech.

"Good, you're awake. Don't panic, you are in one of my guest rooms in the castle..." She assured her.

'_Don't panic, what does that mean?_' She wondered, worrying what Bubblegum has done to her while she slept or what she planned on doing. She scared her body awake, vigorous enough to shoot her arm forth, grabbing the princess by the collar, pulling her face down to her own. "What have you done to me?" She demanded.

Bubblegum was still startled from the hands snapping at her, she hardly heard the question. Marceline repeated, now snarling at her, tightening her grip, "What did you do to ME!" Bubblegum could feel her breathing with their faces so closely together. "I.. I didn't do anything to you... Marceline please let go, don't make me do something you will regret later..." She whimpered.

"You're in no position to make threats **Bonnie**." She remained hold of the princess, not letting up on the grip.

"Y-you're panicked – which I understand, but p-please let go, I haven't done anything to you while you slept. You are safe in one of my guest rooms in the castle. I'm not going to hurt you, no one is." Her heart raced waiting in anticipation to see if her words got through to Marceline.

Marceline took a second to think. She loosened her grip, only slightly and took a look around the room.

It was situated quite high up in the castle, a floor below Bubblegums. The room was expansive, it had white, smooth stone walls and a pink fluffy carpet that looked like candy floss. The bed was opposite side of the room from the door, it was queen size bed, slightly smaller then Bubblegums upstairs, it had clean white sheets over it and was made of the high standard, polished, maple candy wood with a dresser at the end of it.

There was an ensuite bathroom, on the left and the rest of the room was pretty much filled with: two wardrobes, a make-up table with a stool, a single giant mirror, a table with a vase of flowers on top and a chair pulled up to it, a large chandelier, and lastly, two bedside tables. The window behind the bed had the shutters locked to keep out the sun; there was a silver platter with a lid over it and a glass red wine on the same table as the vase.

Able to calm herself, she let out a sigh and freed Bubblegum. Marceline rubbed the sleep from her eyes, freshening them up to see better, looking around the room, "So basically.. you put me in a prettier prison?" She went back to remarkable calm, the fact that she didn't jump up and drain Bubblegum there and then was amazing; the restraint was likely not on her part however. The large doses of anesthetic and sleeping agents were still present and operating in her body, keeping her in a tranquil state, for now.

"What? No. I... nuh... **sigh**, We're freeing you due to false charges" Bubblegum held her head down with shame as she said it.

"Y-you're freeing me? I thought I was the big-bad traitor to the kingdom?" She was overjoyed to hear such news, and though she thought not to push it, she couldn't help rub it in a little.

"I... was wrong..." Dropping her head bellow her shoulders as she uttered the words.

Unable to help herself, Marceline took a dig at her, even after all she had been through, and still at the current moment not feeling to great, she still found her inner cheekiness, "Say again please Bonnie, I didn't quite hear that?" She showed a smug toothed grin towards Bubblegum, raising her eyebrows at the princess.

"**Sigh**, I was wrong and you were right... about everything. I'm sorry." Bubblegum complied with Marceline's request, knowing why she was doing it, but what Bubblegum admitted was the truth and tried not to shy away from the fact. She took in her mistakes upfront, and if she had to endure a load of cheap digs from Marceline, then so be it.

"Yeah, well sorry doesn't change the past, it just chucking a cover over it. I don't like apologies. You think that those few petty words make up a life time of mistakes. It's a lie you tell yourself to help you sleep at night." Marceline was grungy, though she had every right to be.

Aggravated by Marceline's attitude, "Well-w-what else do you want me to do? I can't rewrite time._ trust me I've tried_." She murmured, trailing off a bit on past projects.

"I want you to believe me next time. I want you to give me a chance to prove myself, instead of throwing me in a cage to starve. I want you to treat me as an equal, you have no power over me, you're not better than me because your royal; what does your power get you when I could drain you dry or snap you in-half right now, hmm?"

Bubblegum remained silent, not retaliating to Marceline, allowing the tension tie die down. Instead she walked to the short dresser at the end of the bed, also concealing a taser she hid behind her back the entire time as a precaution; grabbing a robe off the top she walked back over to Marceline's side of the bed.

Marceline paid little attention when Bubblegum walked off, she chose to inspect her body, looking for any cut or bruises she gained, also seeing if her nails were dirty; clearly they gave her a small clean up while she was out in hospital or maybe before they brought her to this room, her nails were black before now.

Bubblegum threw the fluffy blue robe over Marceline's shoulders as she sat up in bed, still in the hospital gown. She hissed in response, pressing her back against the headboard; still very fragile and frightened, adjusting to life outside her cell again, she thought Bubblegum was attempting to put a bag over her head; though she realised quickly it was merely a robe. It felt very soft and comfortable, especially to Marceline, she had not experienced such luxuries for weeks or months even.

"Is that warm enough for now? I can go get an even thicker robe if you want." She asked watching the vampire try and get the bottom of it underneath her as she sat in the bed. Upon doing so she tied it firmly around her thin waist, replying, "Uh, no-no, this is – this is okay... thanks..." She didn't know how to act, this was the woman who sentenced her to death and locked her away from the world, now she was treating her as an honoured guest, in fact she was caring for her above herself, Marceline had never seen such treatment from Bubblegum before.

"We made a breakfast for you. Its to my knowledge that you 'feed' off colours or shades associated with red; so I got the chefs to make you a special meal, I hope its to your liking." Bubblegum nervously smiled, still trying to please the vampire and gain her trust. She uncovered the lid from the platter to reveal a large meal of two highly rare steaks (Almost raw) to retain their redness along with some beetroot bulbs, chopped red peppers and the glass of red wine.

Marceline's eyes widened, almost foaming from the mouth once she saw the fresh red food, she somersaulted out of bed a practically sprinted over to the meal. Gulping down the wine in one swig and chomping her fangs into the steak, completely different to the way she showed Finn, draining it grey. She looked over at the princess inspecting her eat, still with the drained steak in her mouth.

"Did the chefs get it to your liking? They are not too experienced with those ingredients." She nervously chuckled, awaiting a verdict. Marceline gave a thumbs up, hunched over, slicing her fangs through the steak in her mouth as it turned grey. She pulled the hanging relinquished steak piece from her fangs, tossing it back on the platter. "Damn that was SO good."

Bubblegum noticed her wine glass was empty. "I'll have Peppermint bring you a bottle up. Some new clothes are in the wardrobe, we tried getting something that suited you on such short notice." Marceline pulled a slight frown, knowing Bubblegums taste in clothing, it would probably be something bright pink and frilly, but she said nothing of it and let the princess continue. "You should freshen up a little and relax. Go take a bath and enjoy, if you need anything just holla at me and I'll see what I can do. Right well I'll leave you to it."

Bubblegum left the room pulling the door shut behind her, leaving a gap large enough to poke her head through, "And we will discuss the matters at hand, once you are ready of course." She left, and Marceline was yet again alone in solitude.

She listened to hear if Bubblegum locked the door, but there was no sound of it; even though she wasn't locked in and was being treated like a respected guest she still felt prisoner. She had been put to sleep twice for an uncertain number of hours, she was still tired and wanted to fall back onto the bed, especially after that meal filling her stomach. But she wanted a bath first, Marceline forgotten the last time she even had one, the only for of hygiene in that cell was when the rain pelted down enough to form a decent stream of water to clean herself in, the water itself was already dirty by the time it made its way down through the earth, down the little cracks and into her cell.

Walking into the bathroom she turned on the taps to fill the tub. Untying fluffy belt she freed herself from her robe, everything was chilly again. She used her long sharp nail to cut down the strings that tied her hospital gown together, down her back. As she did, the thought slipped into mind about how they got her rags off and her gown on, she had nothing on underneath. Whoever did it must have seen... everything. She went red in the cheeks, embarrassed - and shivered with goosebumps, creeped out from the thought of the many people it could have been.

Opening the door, still with her gown now hanging off the sleeves, she was greeted with the pre-filled bathtub, it was still steaming hot. Marceline went to step inside, pulling one of her arms through the sleeve, until she heard a thump drop behind her. Turning around she noticed Peppermint Butler staring at the door, eyes and jaw wide open, the wine bottle slipped from his hands when he walked in the room hitting against the soft cushioned carpet, noticing the half-naked vampire.

"I.. I-I-um, eh..." Was all he managed to stammer.

The two awkwardly stared at each other, Marceline covered, semi-tried to get the sleeve back on, but after quickly flapping about unsuccessfully, she resorted in crossing it over her chest to cover her breasts. Peppermint just stood there unmoved. Marceline wasn't sure if he was staring in shock or awe, but needless to say it was making her incredible uncomfortable. She hissed at him to leave and Peppermint slowly backed out of the room shutting the door as he left. Marceline was freaked out by the whole ordeal and decided to go pull the latch over the door so no more unexpected visitors entered; while she was there she picked up the delivered bottle of wine and took it in the bathroom with her, finally dropping the the gown that still hung from one arm.

She finished her wash and emerged from the bathroom, feeling properly refreshed, she needed that for ages, her hair was visually straightened out, felt so soft and velvety as it would sometimes brush against her brows and cheeks. With a towel wrapped around her torso, tucking under the armpits, and another swirled on her head, containing (most of) her hair, she walked over to the wardrobes. She was a bit tipsy in her steps, some of the wine she actually drank rather than drained, and she felt like getting a bit pissed, even though it was just wine.

Opening the wardrobes, she burped out a disappointed moan, "**Guh**, 'that suits me?' Bo-**hiccup** Bonnie, **really**?" She opened to find a bunch of pink shirts, vests, sweaters and so on, until she actually bothered to filter through them, "Oh, ah better... not bad Bonnibel..." Hung up was a grey tank top, almost identical to the one she always used to wear, inspecting it, the material felt way to new for it to actually be hers, but made her wonder how they got it to look so exact. Next to it was something new that didn't look copied from her traditional wardrobe, a dark grey hoodie with thin red stripes going down the arms, yet again looked new, had to be specially made for her, '_there's no way Bubblegum would wear this'_, she thought. And at the bottom of the wardrobe, on top of a pile of spare bedsheets were folded blue, stonewashed jeans. Oh and of course: leather, crimson red boots with button straps; '_Okay those are definitely mine, wait..__**Grrrr!**_ _that means she's been in my house! And what's this... really?'_ Picking up the only underwear to be found was a set of stripped pink and white, frilly panties and bra, '_Glob she is testing me..._'

Marceline put everything on other than the boots and hoodie seeing as she wasn't going anywhere yet. Walking over to the bed, picking up a beetroot bulb on the way, sucking it dry. She didn't comb or dry her hair, a couple of shakes and it found its way back to its normal state; walking down the side of the comfy bed, she plummeted her face into the rolls of covers and blankets and pillows. Tonight she was going to sleep like a mortal would, actually utilizing the bed; she was fed up of hovering, she had been doing it for the past six weeks over that sad excuse for a bed in the prison.

Burrowing her head deep in the stacks of pillows, for that moment it was blissful, not a care in the world, forgetting not only the past six weeks, but the whole four years; allowing the vampire to slowly drift off to a good night sleep; she needed the rest for the things to come.

**Yay, a slightly less dark that didn't leave on a cliffhanger or anything, its been awhile...**


	5. C4 Misfit Alliance

**Sorry for the wait for this chapter, busy-busy-busy. Hope it was worth the wait however, and I'll try follow up on it next week. Here's hoping.**

**Please R/R and as always enjoy.**

Chapter Four: Misfit Alliance,

The vampire queen awoke to a new day, she had no idea what the time was and didn't want to open the shutters to find out. Pushing herself up off the bed, she got to her feet sliding her hand over the bedside table for matches, the candles had blown out over the night, making the room almost pitch black. It wasn't a problem to her since she could see in the dark, though she preferred the candles giving off light. She picked up and struck the match, lighting the candle on the bedside table then hovered up to the chandelier, lighting three more candles.

The room was much brighter now, she hopped back down to the floor, draining some of the leftovers from last nights meal. Indulging in the tastes, there was something in the back of her head she knew she had to do today, the wine and sleep worked against her train of thought. Soon enough, leaning against the table with the leftovers, it came to her, the task at hand, (and the reason she was freed) she stopped her feeding, put on her boots and new hoodie rushing out of the room to find Bubblegum.

Marceline knew her way around the castle for the most part, in the past she would sneak around and see what she could find, or spy on Bubblegum and sometimes even toy with the guards for fun. Climbing a flight of stairs, she made her way to Bubblegums personal floor so she could be briefed on the matters at hand.

Knocking on the door to her quarters, Bubblegum called for whoever it was to come in. Marceline turned the handle, pushing the door open, only to be greeted by bright beams of sunshine coming through the open windows; Bubblegum liked to get the fresh air when she could, but forgot about her housed vampire guest.

Blinded by the light Marceline couldn't even see if anyone was inside, she retreated back into the hallways, hissing in discomfort, dragging the door back shut to shield herself further from the rays.

From inside the room, Bubblegums slightly muffled voice called out apologising. "Oh, sorry about that I didn't know it was you," After a couple of objects banging around from inside. "there now come in."

Marceline cautiously opened the door, remaining well hidden behind it, slowly exposing more and more of the room to herself through the growing gap. Once she opened it roughly halfway, she assumed it was safe to enter, and found it was, Bubblegum closed the window shutters.

Bubblegums room was similar to Marceline's guest room downstairs but it was much bigger, mostly in width and everything was pink, different shades here and there but never-the-less pink. Her room was more spacious in the centre, the walls had drapes hanging from them; the floor was stone brick unlike Marceline's but there was a single stretch of carpet making its way from the door to the princesses king sized bed. Everything else was almost the same other than the addition of a tea table in the corner and small workbench that held mainly notes, but also a few vials of coloured, bubbling liquids.

"Are you hurt?" The princess felt obligated to ask. She felt clumsy forgetting to close the shutters when she expected Marceline to visit.

"Uh, no, I'm okay... thanks. It heals pretty fast so long as I don't hang around in it." Marceline still didn't know how to act about all this, Bubblegum was the one who had her locked up and starved. Now she is feeding and cleaning her well and giving her grand quarters to rest in. The sleeping agents and anesthetic were all out of here system now, all Bubblegum had to do was tick her off even slightly and she'd be a viable choice of food. As odd as it sounded though, Marceline did want to forgive her, not for the treatment – she didn't even truly understand herself why she wanted to do so. Right now though she was on Bubblegums side either way to be brought up to speed about Finn and where he is.

"I assume you are here to talk about Finn..." The princess walked over from the windows to her tea table, with a small cup of tea already in hand, sitting down at it, inviting Marceline over with her free hand. Bubblegum felt much more safe in the vampires presence now, knowing she could have chose to escape last night if she still wanted to devour the princess. Bubblegum left her taser in its usual spot, bedside table-draw, in case Ice King decided he wanted to try kidnapping her again.

Marceline nodded walking over to take a seat with Bubblegum.

"Do you drink tea?" Bubblegum asked about to grab the teapot; although she has known the vampire for quite some time now, she still hardly knew anything of how they survived. She always wanted to perform research and test, but certainly knew not to do such things on Marceline, even when she was knocked out in hospital; although little did Marceline know that Bubblegum took a sample of the vampires blood and had it stored in one of the many vials over on the research table for future experiments.

"Um, I don't drink tea – it... doesn't really do anything for me." Marceline shrugged uncomfortably, she didn't know how to really explain it in a few short sentences and didn't want to waste time talking about herself. She wanted to move on to Finn, but tried remaining civil about it.

"Hmm, interesting... ah, I apologies I am getting distracted, this is a conversation for another time," Marceline was relieved, that she was the one who said it. "I'm not sure how to explain this so I guess I'll give you the facts: Finn attempted to kill me, twice. First time was subtle, he tried to make it look accidental; even I took it for an accident, at the time. The second time... well wasn't so subtle."

Marceline quickly asked, "How so?" before the princess continued.

"**Sigh**, he stormed into the castle about a week ago, sword in hand chopping his way through my guard to get to me. Jake got here just in time to distract Finn long enough for me to finish a special concussive, non-harmful explosive that shortly blinds anyone who looks at its reaction, before he reached my quarters. None of them could stop him, even Jake couldn't get through to Finn. The Lich has took his time with Finn, grew his roots deep inside his head. I'm worried if we can't get him back..." Bubblegum stopped, feeling her emotions swell up; she took a second to get back on track and gather her words. "Anyway, while he was disoriented I kicked him, through the window, by accident of course. His gone now. From what my scouts have told me he went all the way south, into the Badlands. I sent a third of my guard to watch the borders of the Badlands to see if they can spot him, I've even resorted to hiring bounty hunters to bring him back alive... I'm sorry..." Bubblegum turned her head in shame.

"Sorry?" Marceline questioned.

"I didn't believe you or give you a chance, and I know you cared for him. If I trusted you this wouldn't have happened." Marceline remained silent, though Bubblegum was right, if she believed her the first time they could have acted sooner.

After the lack of response from Marceline, Bubblegum understood how she felt, and decided to continues explaining. "Anyhow, we know he has the Lich inside him, so we are going to take it out." Bubblegum quickly finished her tea and got up from the table.

"We?" Marceline questioned again.

"Yes. Myself, you and Jake. We are going to rescue Finn!" Bubblegum spoke with a determined enthusiasm. She walked over to her make-up table and pulled open a draw with jewellery inside, grabbing two specific necklaces with the same turquoise gem Bubblegum wore on her tiara. "Here take this and wear it all times." Bubblegum instructed, handing Marceline a necklace.

"Why do I need to wear this?" She asked, inspecting the necklace in her hand.

"It will protect you from the Lich's influence, you can't fight him when his inside your head."

Marceline handed back the necklace. "Um, that stuff he does doesn't work on me, I guess it because I'm a vampire or something."

Bubblegum stopped, felt that she needed to note these things down for future reference, she found it fascinating how beings such as vampires survived and worked, but now was not the time to be thinking about science projects.

She still brought both of the necklaces with her anyway, one for Jake and a spare. Walking over to her wardrobes, Bubblegum opened one to view her outfits hanging up.

While Bubblegum was browsing what to wear for this adventure, Marceline expressed her opinions on this so-called 'rescue', "I understand you want to help Finn and all, but one, I don't work well in groups, two, and no offence, but you aren't much of a fighter Bonnie, you'll only get yourself killed going up against the Lich. Lastly Jake can't do it either on his own, I don't think you have thought this through. Are you even listening?"

Bubblegum still had her back turned to Marceline, browsing through the clothes; she was listening but didn't reply. Once she found the right outfit for the task and conditions: a comfortable pink, skin tight, spandex t-shirt and white cargo pants, along with a pink headband, she carried them over into the bathroom to get changed.

"Wait here while I get ready; please don't touch my notes." She asked before shutting the door to the bathroom.

"**Sigh**, so you wasn't listening." Marceline Mumbled under her breath so Bubblegum wouldn't hear.

A short wait later, couldn't have been more then four minuets, after looking around a bit inside Bubblegums room, Marceline turned attention to the bathroom door opening. Bubblegum had changed into her new outfit, she stood in the doorway stretching, getting comfortable in the new clothes and hair tied back.

"Now will you listen?" Marceline asked approaching the princess.

"Follow me please, I have something to show you." Bubblegum requested, walking past Marceline's approach, out of the room, she had a smile on her face, she seemed very pleased about something. Marceline grunted out of inpatients, but still followed out of curiosity.

The two, again traversed many hallways and stairs until they found the Bubblegums basement lab. The lab looked like it focused more on hardware and devices, rather than the other labs filled with potions and elixirs. There was scrap metal, tools, wires and circuitry laying around everywhere, large insulated wires hung across the walls and ceiling. Very few things looked completed or even operational, the only contraption that appeared working was a crystal held in place which focused light into a prism on the far side of the room, it puzzled Marceline what Bubblegum was trying to achieve with that one.

Bubblegum walked up to a sealed container and popped open the latches, from inside she pulled out a sleek, scientific rifle looking object, pressing a button on its side, the barrel extended out even further.

"I may not be much of a fighter, but I am a decent shot with projectile firing devices. Before you ask, this is what I call a 'Discomblabual-rifle'..."

"A discom-uh, what?"

"Well after my stun explosive work quite effectively, it got me thinking, the Lich isn't just an open target we can attack, his using Finn not only as his host, but also a hostage. So we can't directly harm him without hurting Finn. This device is designed to fire a electromagnetic wave, which is set to a frequency were it will ripple through his brain cells and give him a sensory overload, knocking him out. Once he is out cold so is the Lich; we can detain him and find a way to extract the Lich from Finns body. I also got something for you." Bubblegum reached back into the container, pulling out Marceline's axe bass.

Marceline, ecstatic, took the guitar from her hands."Aw sweet, you got my bass! I missed you baby." Marceline said, snuggling up with her prized bass guitar.

"Uh-yes, but I tweaked it a little..."

"You what!" She snapped at her, feeling her blood boil, she was about to go werewolf on the princess.

"I attached a similar device to mine on the back of the guitar, but your one emits amplified sound frequencies instead; it won't knock him out, but most certainly will stun him. I do recommend using earmuffs when switching on the device."

She took a second to calm, inspecting her bass, not actually finding any visual difference other than a new switch for said device; quite frankly she actually found Bubblegums 'tweak' pretty cool. "Nah, I'll be fine. Can I try it?" She asked, eager to see it's abilities.

Bubblegum frowned at Marceline's reckless thinking. "Not here. The vibrations will likely cause structural damage, also I have important prototypes in here. So no." Marceline pouted, wanting to try her instruments new setting. Bubblegum also grabbed a chest rig she designed to wear and holster the weapon comfortably on her back, along with a duffle bag flung over her shoulder. Once she strapped up she pulled out wires from the assortments of pockets and plugged it into the weapon; presumable charging it. Bubblegum was pumped up, loaded out and ready to go, like now.

"All right, I'm going to call Jake and tell him we are ready." Bubblegum picked up the phone under a pile of scraps and begun dialling the tree fort.

"Wait, hold up, we are doing this now?" Marceline hasted over snatching the phone from Bubblegum.

"Yes, you want to get Finn back don't you?" Bubblegum went to grab the phone back again, but Marceline pulled back her arm and held the phone high above her head to keep out of Bubblegums reach.

"Yeah but, no plan, no nothing... you always have a plan; we will be going in blind." She hovered up out of Bubblegums reach, waiting for her answer.

"The plan is to destroy the Lich without harming Finn, we can't do that standing around here; and besides, I want my sweet revenge on that donggus monstrosity! He took my body, terrorized my kingdom, tried killing me, and now he has my friend! When I get my hands on him, ohhohohh you just wait..."

Bubblegum was beginning to get a bit emotional, and a tad bit crazy. Marceline too couldn't shake the feeling of wanting revenge for what the Lich has done to her; Marceline, mutually wanting the same thing as the princess, lowered her hand a gave back the phone without speaking, Bubblegum continued to call Jake.

The call was made, the princess informed Jake about everything and told him to meet the herself and the vampire queen in the throne room, and they will go from there.

* * *

Marceline and Bubblegum waited for Jake in the throne room. Not much conversation bounced between them since they left the lab after the call; Marceline, always liking to rest her weight, leaned up against one of the large pillars near Bubblegum, while the princess herself stood in the centre of the room staring at the door waiting for it to open and Jake coming through. Now and again she would roam back and forth around the room to stretch her legs and stop them from falling asleep.

Marceline left to her thoughts couldn't help but think about her time in the prison. Though it only took up a small amount of time compared to her lifespan, the time she spent in that cell didn't feel like six weeks it felt like years. Knowing that it was all under Bubblegums orders, and she was now standing in the very room she was sentenced in. It was all too much to bear. She wanted to forgive her, but still failed to find any reason to do so.

The further she dwelled on every individual day she was imprisoned for, her mind slowly begun to unlock that anger she held deep for so long. She looked over at the princess with fire in her eyes, wishing she just strangled her to death in the hospital and been done with it. She tried to mask over those dark thoughts, she was just released from prison, she had no intention of going back in any time soon, but still she wanted to say something, the anger was too much to contain any longer. Marceline gapped her mouth open to talk, but stopped, thinking suddenly of the repercussions that might come if she spoke her mind, she still wished to speak, so she reconfigured what she had to say.

"Hey..." She spoke in quite a assertive and deeply serious tone that demanded attention. Marceline took Bubblegums eyes off the door. "I know you are trying to play nice, for your mistake with framing me and all, but seriously deep down, tell me, do you even trust me? I bet part of you still wants to believe that this some how its still all my fault, so you wouldn't have been wrong in the first place and then I will still be locked up, out of your life. Is that why you need me for your little group? You are just going to use me – feed me to the wolves if things go bad..."

The princess was in a state of confusion from the vampires sudden questioning. It took her a second to reply. "...What, no... Marceline. What's brought all this up?"

"You still hate me don't you, all this is just a facade. When you get the chance you are going to stab me in the back and bring me here again as one of your little experiments." She started to give herself even more excuses to not trust the princess as she continued.

"Marceline I think you are getting emotional because you are reliving your trauma inside your head, and I am so, so, SO sorry that I am the reason this is happening, but I want to fix things, I am not the enemy, I want..."

Bubblegum was cut short with the doors busting open with none other then Jake coming through, jogging his way over panting out of breath.

Marceline got up from resting on the pillar and hovered past Bubblegums ear, whispering so Jake wouldn't notice. "You just keep telling yourself that, Bonnibel. I'm doing this for Finn, nothing else." Honestly this was nothing, if Marceline wished, she could have done much worse than express herself before Jake arrived. Though Bubblegum didn't see this little exchange of words between them be the end of the case. All that kept Marcelines anger getting physical was the conflicting rational thought that still defended the princess.

Bubblegum felt slightly threatened and worried, Marceline emotional instability on this matter could escalate as they continue, the Lich now wasn't the only problem that occupied Bubblegums mind. Marceline was now unpredictable, but she was needed.

"I'm ready... w-when you are, princess... just lemmi... catch my breath." Jake puffed out, speaking after every exhale of air.

Bubblegum could see Marceline hovering behind her, in the corner of her eye. The princess would turn to stare her down, but that's probably what Marceline wants, to look her in the eyes and intimidate with nothing more. Instead Bubblegum chose to ignore her, at least for now, but she would have to deal with it at some point, the vampire queen isn't known for dropping matters so easily.

Giving Jake a second to catch his breath, she handed him the enchanted jewellery. Bubblegum then ordered to move out. Before they could even leave the kingdom, Marceline immediately flew up into the sky a shouted down at the the princess and dog, "I'm going to get some things from my place, I'll catch up with you later!" before they could question her she was already gone, Bubblegum was powerless to stop her, all she had was her word that she'd come back, and so it was just the two of them again.

**Eh, not too action packed, but the plot must be driven forward!...**


	6. C5 The Bumpy Road Ahead

**Bleep-bloop**

**R/R and enjoy.**

Chapter Five: The Bumpy Road Ahead.

Princess Bubblegum and Jake had covered allot of ground since Marceline parted ways with them. They exited the kingdom, ventured through the great candy forest, traversed the Grasslands; passing by the Treefort, continued directly south crossing the hole near the centre of the world. Now found themselves on the boarder of the Badlands. The only thing that now stood between them and the desolate desert, left riddled with only bandits, was a cluster of large dark mountains; it would be quicker to climb through them, than walk around.

Bubblegum and Jake had reached the boarder much quicker then she expected, as a reward to them both they threw down their gear on a solid flat enough clearing on the mountain face and set up camp; it wasn't night just yet but they deserved to rest.

Bubblegum unbuckled her chest rig, resting it next to the duffle bag. After fishing around inside she pulled out a pink sleeping bag for herself and Jakes blankey they picked up when they swung by the Treefort. There was a spare sleeping bag for Marceline but Bubblegum left it stored since the vampire wasn't present, and she honestly wasn't even sure if she'd need it, but came prepped anyway.

There was virtually no trees around to get fire wood, unless either of the pair was willing to walk all the way back down the mountain. Bubblegum came prepared for that too, she brought a portable, rechargeable heater to keep them warm for when the sun set, the desert and especially the mountains became surprisingly cold at night. They laid out there gear among the flat rock surface, to keep herself occupied Bubblegum couldn't help but bring some of her lab gear and her diary to jot down notes to research some of the nature around these parts and help keep her thoughts clear; she'd likely go insane without her praised diary to clear her head.

Bubblegum rarely got to leave the kingdom for expeditions to explore the wonderful land of Ooo, and most certainly never got the time to come this far out. The only opportunities that would arise were when she would be called out to attend a court or a counsel in another kingdom. Along the journey she would halt the carriage if any sights peeked her interests, and would always make up an excuse for her lateness upon arrival.

Bubblegum sat down with her equipment, grabbing a bag, emptying it contents on a cloth, it held a mixed bunch of flowers she collected and picked along the journey. Bubblegum usually experimented with candy contents and materials, yet she did like broaden her research, using materials she never got her hands on before.

While the princess was busy with that, Jake laid down on his back closely behind her on his blanket, reading a old book called "_The Dos and Don'ts of Parenting._" He hardly read in his free time at the tree house, it always just sat there on the shelf with many other old books his mother handed down to him. Due to the news of his soon to be new born puppies however, he felt he had a duty to fill, to learn as much as he could to be a good father to his new borns. Besides he didn't want to go into parenting blind, he needed some advice from somewhere, and what better time to learn.

About 20 minuets past, Bubblegum let out a bored and disappointed sigh, her experiments were going slow, something she was used to, but also not to plan due to the lack of equipment.

With nothing else but time to burn through she took attention to Jakes activity. He didn't notice her looking, with the book held right up to his face; he seemed invested into the information the book was giving him; or trying really hard to keep focused from boredom.

Growing curious and breaking the long silence between them, Bubblegum fully turned around on the spot and asked. "What-cha reading Jake?" Her legs were crossed and arms held her slouching head up from the chin.

Jake turned on his side a little, facing away from Bubblegum to hide the book a little from her sight, slightly embarrassed to show her. Though, unable to think of a good lie, he simply said, "It's a-uh... a book... on-uh.. parenting." He announced the topic of the book stubbornly to hopefully avoid any further questions about it or what the title was. Jake knew it was stupid to act all embarrassed around his friends about this matter, especially Bubblegum, he still couldn't help himself.

His plan failed, Bubblegum persisted. She could tell the way he spoke a hid the book he was reluctant to pursue the conversation, she further prodded questions, not to spite or tease him, though she does get an adorable amusement when Finn or Jake get all flustered. She felt it would be good for him to just be up front about his feelings.

"On parenting, eh? Getting ready for the puppies I see; do continue – what's it called, what subjects does it cover?" She fired all kinds of questions at him he wasn't sure what or how to answer.

He stalled, trying to think of an escape out of this, but in his pause Bubblegum shuffled behind him, leaning over, taking the book from his nimble hands as he was in deep thinking.

"Dahh! Give it back, I'll loose the page!"

She closed the book to read the title, keeping a finger on the page he was on. "Hmm, _The Dos and Don'ts of Parenting_, huh? Daw Jake, there's no need to be so content about this, its sweet."

Jake retreated from his aggression, "**Sigh**. Yeah, I-I know, it's just, eh.. I don't know where I'm going with this..."

"You're thinking about it too much. You will be a great dad and there's no shame in seeking advice from other sources. In fact you could have asked me." She reassured him, handing his book back.

"I guess your right." He thought about it for a second, wondering how Bubblegum would know about parenting; then Lemongrab and Goliad came to mind. He didn't ask. "So, uh, what you doin' over there?" He directed the attention at her experiments.

"Oh, I was trying to splice these two flowers-" She picked up a purple bulb, and a flower with wide green petals, "-together, and these one's over here, I was trying to make sentient, but I need more of my gear, I only brought enough to perform basic experiments."

Jake nodded along, he was lost the moment she said 'splice'. "So when do you think Marceline is coming back? Can she even find us?"

The mention of the vampires name erupted an uncomfortable, queasy feeling in her gut, reminding her that she was still a problem to deal with. "I'm not sure Jake, I expected her back by now. I am sure she will be back." She wasn't sure at all, it unnerved her that Marceline was on the loose and she couldn't monitor what she was doing.

The area fell back in silence, Bubblegum attempted to salvage her works on the flowers, while Jake returned to his reading. Now with the subject on his mind, and with the wanted distraction to not continue reading, he asked the princess, "Hey Bubbs, are you ever gonna settle down with someone else, some handsome prince from far away, you always seem to, uh, avoid it."

Bubblegum didn't turn around to speak, she kept her focus on her small science project, but she didn't ignore his question. "Oh I don't know, there's just never been the right person. I guess I'm married to my work, its the only thing I get, and it gets me back. I love science."

"But doesn't a kingdom, well, you know... need a prince or king as well?"

Bubblegum turned her head to Jake, stopping with her fiddling for a second. "Are you saying a women can't do the job on her own?" She slitted her eyes slightly, giving a disappointed look.

"NO, no, no, nah, its just... never mind, it came out wrong." He tried hiding his shame behind the book cover.

Bubblegum returned her focus back on the project. "I just don't have any interest in marrying a king, or prince, or any man. It would be more of a hindrance to me then happiness. He will get part say in my affairs with the kingdom, there will be conflict in opinions, he will want to see me often and I just don't have the time with all my work. So no. I have no such interest any time soon; besides I am only twenty-two (she lied), I have plenty of time to change my mind."

Another thought climbed into Jakes mind, but he was reluctant to ask straight away, thinking of different ways to word it, in the end he settled with the simplest form. "So-um... you like.. girls then?"

Bubblegums eyes widened with the unexpectedness of the question, "What!?" she suddenly turned with all her attention put on Jake again.

Jake realised it was probably a bad idea to mention it, he tried to justify his statement, "I'm not judging or anything, its cool if your into that..."

"And what made you insinuate, I'm into 'that'?" Bubblegum didn't like the fact she was being questioned her sexuality.

"Well its just that earlier, you said there's never been the right person, you specifically mentioned a man, and you also said you didn't want to marry a king so, uh, yeah... I'll stop talking now..." Jake stopped, and tried retreating back to his book once more for protection.

Seconds later, she said, "**Guh**, to answer your question, no, I am not into 'that'..." and tried dismissing the conversation, getting back on track with her work.

"...Okay... I'm just saying if you are, its fine and..."

"Jake!" She warned with growing aggravation in her voice.

"Okay-okay." He yet again backed down from the accusation, quickly, before he made her mad.

* * *

Hours past, it was sundown, and started to get dark and cold, Bubblegum turned on the heater, it lit a small perimeter around them with a orange glow, since they had nothing else to do, they got ready to sleep early. Jake scuffled around on his blanket trying to get comfortable, he remained very close to the heater for warmth. Bubblegum slid into her sleeping bag, zipping it up, it was already quite warm so she slept on the edge of the light from the heater. After they both were comfortable they said goodnight and went to sleep.

Jake was unsettled through the night, he kept waking up, hearing noises, like rocks being tossed about or whispering in the wind, and feeling a presence other than Bubblegum. He felt like he was being watched. He didn't wake the princess, every time he woke up and stayed on alert for five minuets or so to see if he could catch what it was; nothing happened. But he was almost certain something was there, it couldn't have been a wild animal, it would have left by now or if it was vicious it would have struck.

Jake closed his eyes again after another five minute scan of the area, the moment he did he heard it moving again, it was toying with him. This time however Jake decided to keep his eyes shut and lure it out into the open. It sounded like his plan was working, after a while of it scuffling about around the perimeter of the camp, it slowly approached the deceitful dog, once it was only a couple of feet away, and he could hear its deliberate, cold heavy breathing.

He opened his eyes and performed a short dive to were he thought it stood, hitting his chest the hard earth, the air was forced out of his tired lungs upon landing, letting out a loud huff grunt, almost waking the princess. There was nothing, he was certain he heard it, it was starting to drive him crazy, '_Maybe it was a dream, and I woke up thinking it was real._' Jake pondered to himself laying back down on his blanket drifting to sleep. As he was on the verge of passing into dreamland could feel a glorious sensation on his stomach, which made him start to drool and slip further into drowsiness, until it slipped into mind, '_What the clams is stroking me?_'

He sprung up off his back, franticly looking around. Turning right and before his eyes could process the information, his ears beat them to it, hearing a calm casual voice say, "Hey Jake." and a pat on his tummy. He leapt away in panic, getting tangled up in his blanket screaming in fear, up till his brain assuredly registered that voice, it was none other than Marceline.

The vampire queen laughed away, rolling around holding her sides at Jakes panic. Bubblegum was awaken by his loud, childish screaming, quickly grabbing a torch out of her bag, to check what all the commotion was about. Bubblegum pointed the bright light over in Marcelines direction. She sheathed her eyes, letting a small hiss slip, due to the discomforting glare of the torch. "Ah! Bonnie its me! Turn that thing off, you could have almost blinded me."

Bubblegum pointed the torch down at the ground, keeping it on to still light up the area a little more efficiently. Marceline dropped her hands from her face to see Jake still cowering, entangled in his blanket, the sight made her let out another short snigger; Bubblegum begun to ask, "Marceline, what took you so long, and why are you trying to creep on us in the night?"

Marceline floated over and around Bubblegum, explaining, "I told you, I needed to pick up some things." She grabbed the strap of the bag that hanged on her shoulders, resting by her hip, and slung the strap over her head, tossing the bag on the floor next to Bubblegums. "And besides, I haven't been home in six weeks, had to make sure everything was the way I left it. And I was 'creeping' on you because its called having fun, you should try it some time." She mocked, hovering down, resting her head on the bag she tossed on the ground.

"I cant get enough of his reaction every time, its been too long; isn't that right puppy?" Jake popped his head out from under the fabric bounds he was caught up in, with a angered embarrassment on his face.

"Okay Marceline, you've had your fun, now lets all get some rest; its going to be a long and tiring walk when we are in that desert, we will need all the energy we can get."

"Nuh-uh, lets stay up and tell ghost stories. I got one that'll make you scream so loud, Jake, that the demons of the Night-O-Sphere would hear you. It's about this fisherman all alone one night at a lake-"

"Marceline this is serious! Finns life is in danger, can't you be mature for once?" Bubblegum scorned, putting a stop to Marcelines mischievous behaviour.

"Damn I was just trying to lighten up the mood, why do you always have to be such a downer, you act like you're the one who's been locked up for six weeks. **Sigh**, fine, I'll leave you two, to your _precious sleep_, I'm going to head up to the top of the mountain." She spoke in a cranky tone of voice, bringing herself to her feet, jumping in the air as a boost to flying to the mountain peek.

Bubblegum scratched her head at Marcelines behaviour, she seemed so much more calmer, like earlier never happened. "Does she seem to be acting odd to you Jake?"

Jake let out a yawn, as he untangled himself, before answering. "Not really, same old Marceline. Oh glob she going to freak the junk outta me even more now that I locked her up!" Jake rolled up on the floor trying to get back to sleep; his paranoia, expecting the vampire to jump out at him, at any given moment didn't help though.

"Hmm" Bubblegum reach over to her notepad and flicked a couple of pages in, skipping through the already used up pages full of research. She titled the notes '_Marceline's condition_' along with the date, and went on to write: '_She appears, from what I have currently seen, to be experiencing personality splits. My evidence towards this speculation started in my room, at the castle, she was perfectly okay in my presence, even just several hours after being freed from the prison I ordered her to be locked up in. She did not seem to hold a grudge or seek any vengeance. I had more banana guard patrol outside my room because I thought she would try and murder me if we were alone, but she was fine. _

_And then before we left the castle this morning, that's when she shows signs of hostility, and heavy sign of distrust, speaking of trust, I recall her asking me if I 'trusted her'. What does it mean? Why would she ask that; could it be she doesn't trust herself? Does a part of her mind know she is experiencing instability, and its warning me... I don't know maybe I'm thinking to deep into it._

_But there's certainly something not right. Just now she seemed fine again, back to her old self, seeming to forget about our small confrontation in the castle. Could it be be, being lock up in a confined space, with no company other than herself did this? Surely not, its too short term for these types of mental symptoms. Or could it be her emotional attachment with Finn, exposing her feelings to him took her allot of courage, and now all this. I really don't know, I'll have to keep a close eye on her behaviour; maybe the best way is to talk with her about it. Either way I will continue writing my findings in here.'_

Bubblegum closed her notebook, returning it back beside the duffle bag. She shuffled down back into her sleeping bag and tried to get some rest for the journey tomorrow.

**Marcelines behaviour is all wishy-washy at the moment, what do you think she is going to do when the time comes?**


	7. C6 My Own Worst Enemy

**So this was originally going to be a bonus chapter, called chapter 5A. I was going to release after the FF was done, but I then decided against that and ended up making it it's own chapter. As a result it is quite short and doesn't drive the story forward all that much since it's taking place four hours earlier after chapter 5 ended; it's more of an insightful chapter showing more of Finns side of the story. **

**(R/R. Hope you enjoy as always.)**

Chapter Six: My own worst enemy.

Four Hours Earlier

Somewhere in the Badlands

The shattered hero emerged, stumbling over a sand dune, in his ragged hood and plain, ripped up, brown poncho. Unable to compensate for his speed as he walked over and on down the steeper side of the dune, he fell face first, sliding down. He slowly skid to a stop at the bottom with his head buried up to his mouth with a pile of sand growing on top of him from were it was unsettled by his fall.

"**Sigh**, Get up..." A familiar foe grunted at him in vain expectation.

He didn't feel like a hero, not any more, he didn't know what he felt or what he was now. Even the Lich was growing tired of his new 'puppet', watching him make void struggles to traverse the desert; at first it was amusing, soon though it came to be repetitive. The Lich was impatient, he wanted to control Finn right now and push past his nuisance needs; alas this was better time used to recuperate his power. If he constantly controlled the boy, he would sooner loose his grasp over him.

Finn felt sick, just the thought of the Lich festering somewhere inside, he couldn't fathom the image of the monster reigning inside his thoughts, dreams and memories. He didn't want to continue through the desolate desert any further, only to carry Ooo's potential doom closer to its goal; whatever it may be. If he could do one last act of heroism, it was to lay down a die, right there and let the Lich perish with him.

"I said Get Up, boy!" Finn was snapped out of his thoughts, felt his mind being prodded from the inside. He couldn't control his muscles for a moment, almost like they were being manipulated with knotted string, and he found himself returning to his feet. "Now walk." The Lich demanded. The teenager wiped off the thin layer of sand glittering the lower half of his face and dusted the rest of himself off; he took a deep breath and complied with the Lichs orders. Staggering about like a drunk, he found it impossible to walk or see straight, his eyes were fatigued and dry, they were bloodshot and looked as if he had been awake for days. He headed in the direction of the sun, it was retreating behind a range of enormous, red sandstone rocks and cliffs on the horizon, the time had to have been around seven pm.

"I... I'm not gonna... make... need.. water..." Finn gasped out of his chapped lips, exhausting himself to pronounce every word. Everything came blurred on the edges of his vision, he felt the next step would b his last, he felt himself blacking-out, stalling in his steps, he dropped to his knees. Reopening his eyes a brief soothing vigour washed over him from head to toe. He still felt weak and desperate for nourishment, but his feet didn't feel though they were going to break in the next step. Things were weird though, something didn't feel quite right, the air, it just felt so floaty, he assumed it was another of the Lich's numerous powers. Then something called out from nowhere.

"Oh you need water?" He heard a sweet, melodic voice ask him, he didn't know where it came from, it seemed like it called from everywhere, it wasn't the same old voice he accustomed to hearing. He knew the voice, just couldn't remember who it belonged to. He couldn't hardly remember anything any more, culprits being the heat and the other that inhabited his thinking space. Their faces were all so vivid in his head. Finn kept staggering forward, looking around to find the source of the voice, it felt like he hadn't heard from someone other than the Lich in forever, anyone but him would do, in his thoughts, not paying attention, he hit something solid. Falling on back, feeling like he fell from two stories.

The shadow of what appeared to be a woman cloaked over him. He couldn't see her face, the sun behind her shone in his eyes, making it difficult to adjust and see the details in the shade. He begun noticing the figure, and small details became more aware to him as his eyes slowly tuned themselves to see in the less intense light. The large sun hat should have gave it away to by now.

"M-Marce..." Stopping halfway through the name, to inhale another breath in shear disbelief.

"Hey hero? Not doing so well, huh." She wasn't sounding very sympathetic, or even too excited to see him again, more sounded like she was mocking his current state; although at this point Finn would accept any other voice talking to him, as long as it wasn't the Lich pecking around in his brain, Marcelines unexpected presence was way more than welcome.

To exhausted to think of anything to say and in awe of her random appearance out here, he was left speechless. Finn reached an arm up to her for aid, too weak to get back on his feet.

She looked at him for a second, questioning his motion. "Oh right! water, here you go hero." She handed him a brown opaque, plastic bottle. It wasn't what Finn was gesturing for, but this seemed a thousand times better; he shakily untwisted the cap, pressed the bottle against his lips emptied the contents of the bottle down his mouth. Seconds later after taking a few hefty swigs, his taste-buds came to life and brought a tangy taste to his senses, the liquid was warm and thick and coated the gums of his mouth and throat with a metallic taste. This wasn't water. He brought himself to stop drinking even though he wished to continue to rehydrate himself. He inspected the bottle, looking inside, it was blood; lifeless expired blood. He spat and spluttered out what was left hanging inside his mouth.

"See, this is your problem Finny-boy-" Marceline said sternly, climbing on top of his fragile body as he coughed and spluttered, lightly slapping his feeble hand down to the sand, causing him to drop the bottle. Sitting on his stomach, she was light, but any weight applied to his structure and he thought he was going to cave in and snap. She knew it was hurting him, but it didn't stop her. "-you never listen." She talked down to him in a belittling way, gently stroking his cheek, swiping off the trail of blood that escaped the corner of his mouth with her finger.

She grabbed his cheeks, squeezing on them, though his arms were free, he was too weak, and rendered helpless to do anything about it.

His inner joy to finally see someone, especially a close friend, turned to distress, and he muffled a plea for her to stop under his scrunched up lips, "Marceline... pl-please..."

"**Haha!**" She laughed over-emotively, "We've already started to beg like a thrall have we? Seriously I didn't expect you to crack that quick. Gob its almost embarrassing to watch. Hehehmm." She let another short giggle go before continuing. "But back to my point, hmm what was it... Ah!" She let go of his cheek, cutting in with her nails as she retracted her hand to snap her fingers in succession. "Not paying attention. You see..." She shuffled about on top of him, making herself more comfortable, it felt like she was squishing his liver. "I took you into my hospitality, made you a walker of the night and schooled you on how to survive, and.. well, I don't like repeating myself. And I have to repeat myself, when certain thick-skulled cretins like you don't listen!" She was starting to raise her crazed voice it echoed slightly through the desert.

Finn was worried and confused, he didn't have a clue where this was going, or what he did so wrong; she didn't sound happy and was getting rough, "Bu-but, I listened... to everything... I-I don't understand?" His voice still deteriorated from the lack of water to lubricate his throat. The blood too only started to dry up in there with nothing to wash it away, it also started to twist and curdle fowl in his guts.

"So you don't listen and now you're acting an idiot," She pinched her eyebrows together, "You're testing me Finn. **Sigh**, Fine let me remind you." She lifted herself of him giving Finn few seconds of relief before grabbing his skull, sitting him up and tearing the rags around his face slightly, exposing him to the sunlight. Finn squinted his eyes and squealed, trying to cover up his face with his hands, as his skin boiled.

"That's right doofus, sun equals bad; so why in Ooo are you in a desert?" She circled around him like a vulture, "It's like you're mocking my teachings. I don't like to try and help people, only to be laughed at behind my back!"

"Marcie-ie.. I wasn't t-trying to upset you. I d-didn't even want to come here.. please just..." He crawled sluggishly to her feet, reaching his arm up once more in hope of mercy.

A guilty smile raised on her face, she lifted him off the ground. "I digress, I didn't teach you everything, maybe your not fully to blame lacking some knowledge here and there. Say, I recall postponing levitation, so how bout we teach you it now." She said excitingly, with a slight menace looming in her tone, and brought him in for a hug.

"Uh-ah, n-now?" He sounded nervous and very unsure about this.

"Are you questioning me? Of course now! What better time? You moronically got yourself stuck in a desert, wouldn't it be useful if you could just fly out? Don't you trust me?" She hissed into his ear.

"Uh-y-yeah, I guess, I'm sorry." He submissively apologised, not looking to anger her any further, resting his head on her shoulder.

Another one of those questionable cornered grins displayed on her face before she all of a sudden launched them both into the air; Finn held on tighter and tighter the higher they got, then Marceline brought them to a stop, mid-air. "..There, there. It's okay Finn." She whispered gently into his ear, swaying them both side to side. "I accept your apology. I.. just can't have mistakes like you running around though, so I'm sorry too for what I'm about to do..."

As he heard those final words, Finn tried to pull away, but she already anticipated it and held him tighter, bringing out a stiletto holstered on her belt, driving it into his gut. Finn juddered from the contact of the pointed, cold blade ripping inside of him. His body fell weakly onto her, stuttering gasps and grunts, he tried holding himself up using her shoulders, but she slowly grabbed his hands and loosened their trembling grip. "Shh-shh it's okay, just let it happen Finn, the more you fight it, the more it'll hurt, just let go." She whispered last, before letting him drop all the way to the surface.

After the loud thud and kick up of sand she made her way down to the barely alive boy.

She laid him out on the floor delicately, crossing his arms over his chest, straightening up his head and legs. "If you don't mind, I'll be taking my property back. This may be a bit uncomfortable..." Marceline retracted the stiletto patiently out of the wound, Finn lifted his hand shakily to stop her, she pinned it back onto his chest to avoid the interruption. After it was out she got up wiping the blade clean before holstering it. Finn was still weak and body rippled with multiple aches, but he used all the strength he could to drag himself away while she was busy cleaning her blade.

"**Sigh**, I told you not to fight it Finn, to just let it happen. Are you trying to defy me again!?" He pushed himself through the sand, putting as much distance between them as he could.

"You know what you're looking a little pale, maybe a more sun will do you good?..." With that she let him retreat a little more, she liked to chase her prey, Finn tried to back away faster, he could tell by the tone in her voice and the look on her face she was about to do something bad. It didn't take more than a few seconds for her to catch up with him. She stomped down on his ankle, stopping him from going any further; with one clean swipe she tore off his hood, followed by a flurry, tearing into his poncho and the clothes underneath.

Finn was being scorched by the sun. It crackled his already dry skin and begun melting the exposed exposed areas, Marceline started to walk away as he screamed, destroying his voice box, trying to cover himself desperately. Leaving him to be cooked alive, she added insult to injury, scoffing over his screams, "See you around lover-boy."

Finn could feel his body slipping beyond repair, and then it just stopped...

His skin begun to cool again, he opened his eyes in question. "**Ahrrgh**, ah, whah?" The dagger wound disappeared, the sun was blotted out by a thick sheet of grey clouds; Marceline was nowhere to be seen. He was confused, but didn't bother questioning it after what just happened, he was thankful the pain was over. The clouds cast a small drizzle of rain over him, he flinched from the contact of the liquid clashing and sizzling against his still hot, sensitive skin, it was almost like a miracle.

Finn open his mouth to hopefully catch some rain water to drink. For a while his guard was down, letting something sneak up on him. He turned when the sound of its approach became more audible in the distance, and what he saw he almost couldn't comprehend. The colossal waves from a roaring tsunami conquered over the clouds, barraging through them towards Finn. Fear overcame the young man, being afraid of the ocean, as he froze in place, shaking on the spot, unable to move even if he tried; not that running would have made any difference. Squeezing his eyes shut as it got closer, he didn't want to, distinctively not like this, but had no choice other than to accepted his fate. Screaming to the top of his lungs in preparation and utter terror, he was quickly and suddenly muted by the mammoth tides engulfing him...

* * *

"**Gahh-oc-oc-oc!**"Choking on his own spit from the sudden fear he was being washed away in the heart of the ocean, Finn jolted forward off the floor, awaking from his nightmare-state, sitting up to allow the oxygen smother flow down his airway. His choking soon became the least of his concern when the air brushed along his back, exposing a cool, moist feeling along his entire backside. Very recently being victim to drowning in a giant dream ocean, Finn was still jumpy to the thought of any liquid at the current time.

He let out a defenceless yelp before scurrying forward, turning back to notice he was laying in what appeared to be a small oasis surrounded by clusters of tall standing sandstone. His shriveled body was still on the verge of dehydration, he submissively whimpered back to possible the only source of water in the desert for miles. Kneeling down at the shallow end, with his face barely touching the wet sand, he drank at least a litre in a matter of seconds, scooping the small ripples he made into his gullet; he soon submersed his chin (resting it upon mashed together concoction of sand, sort brown dust and an organism of algae) and mouth up to his top lip, sucking in all he could uncaring if the water was clean or dirty, he just needed his fix now, what was to come later was not a concern that came to mind.

Once he was satisfied, he pulled away and fell flat beside the pool. The feeling was spoiled by the voice he forgot he stowed, sneaked up on him, leaving him with only an empty, hopelessness. "Ah, back I see. You blacked-out boy, fell into a trance. I had to carry your carcass to this place. Now that you've indulged with your petty needs, I hope I don't need to remind you there's work to be done..."

**Not the jolliest of times for Finn...**


	8. C7 Sense of Impending Doom

**Sorry for the delay of this chapter, had a bit of writers block. Hopefully I will be on schedule next week.**

**(Don't forget to R/R and as always: hope you enjoy)**

Chapter Seven: Sense of Impending Doom.

Bubblegum woke up later than expected for another day of expedition. Jake was already awake, not being able to get much sleep in the night, waking to the thought of Marceline still watching him; something about that just itched him the wrong way. He tried cheering his mood by cooking breakfast, humming delightfully to a tune in hiss head.

"Hey Jake." The princess got out before a yawn.

Jake twisted his head around like an owl, "Oh, hey Bubbs, did I wake you?" He asked shaking the sizzling pan in his hand over one of Bubblegums Bunsen-burners.

"No, you're all right... what-cha cookin'?" She asked, trying to continue the conversation, plus the smell was making her quite hungry.

"Eh, just some bacon and syrup, there was going to be pancakes, but I forgot the botching ingredients back at the house." He said, bummed out, shaking the pan with bacon sizzling inside over the intense blue flames.

"Are you cooking for yourself?" She asked, unsure if it was simply for him or the group; she didn't want to assume some of it was hers.

"What? No, this is for both of us, including.. you know who if she wants any." He reassured Bubblegum, while suspiciously looking around him to see if the vampire heard.

She was relieved he said it was for all of them, Bubblegum loved Jakes cooking, and it also saved her from doing it herself.

The aroma of the open nature around them was peaceful, soothing, Bubblegum welcomed it, as her usual schedules with her experiments and the kingdom didn't allow such trips like this into the wild of Ooo. It was all so tranquil, it made her temporarily forget about why they came all this way, instead it felt like a camping trip.

Laying back on the ground with her upper body lifted, supported by her forearms so she could view the expanse woodland below. They were high enough to see thin layers of cloudy mist clinging to the sides of the mountain, also floating out slightly over the woods. The peaceful silence of merely the branches and leafs bristling in the wind, flocks of birds cawing distantly below, soon coupled with a comforting whistle, it was all so therapeutic; till the thought came to mind where the whistles came from.

Marceline made her way down from the mountain, landing her thick boots on the ground near Jake, scruffing up the fur on his head as she walked by. She broke her whistling tune to say, "Morning guys." before continuing again. She collected her sun hat back at her house instead of wearing the hood up, preferring to keep her hair free. Seemingly unusually serene, especially considering hers and Bubblegums chat yesterday.

'_Is she planning on doing something? Or did the dungeons really mess her up?_' Bubblegum thought to herself, feeling fear on one hand, but wanting to show sympathy on the other.

It was an odd predicament she found herself in, there was no telling how Marceline felt inside; she was a stone wall when it came to looking into her emotional side. Bubblegum couldn't tell if she still wanted to put actions to her words, or if she legitimately dropped it for their current task. Even so she was behaving too calm knowing that Finn was out there, somewhere in trouble; making the princess certainly question the vampires current mental state.

"You having any of this Marceline?" Jake asked, still cooking the breakfast.

She inspected it, standing over him, "Nah I'm good, too brown, can't suck anything from that; probably will make me sick or something. Um-no offence." and walked on.

Jake 'humfed' at her comment on his cooking, taking it as an insult; always overlooking the fact she survives on the colour red for a living. Marceline sat off to the side of the set-up camp, next to the steep drop on their ledge. Her whistling mellowed down into humming, tuning her guitar, staring down the drop below, same as Bubblegum was. Bubblegum couldn't help but watch her, still not getting her deal; she wanted to talk about yesterday, but only saw it ending in a bad outcome as she played through the scenario in her mind. So she settled from watching her from afar, seeing what she could gather simply bystanding.

Jake called to the princess, breaking her focus, "Yo P-Bubbs breakfast is ready." She walked over to sit with Jake and enjoyed her served meal; it wasn't much, certainly wasn't the portions she was used to, she didn't complain, nor really care. The breakfast was of good standard considering Jakes lack of ingredients and culinary equipment, and he was good company to eat with, though most of her attention throughout the meal was still devoted to the vampire. Straight away after she finished, she went back to watching Marceline, fibbing to Jake, telling him she was going back to work on her little experiments, she simply started moving equipment around, playing her hands about; it didn't take much to fool him.

Marceline, after strumming a few tunes with her guitar, still sat in the same spot since princess went to eat. She put down her instrument and started fiddling about in the bag she brought along. Bubblegum somehow saw this as a gateway in to construct a conversation, genuinely wondering what she had brought in the bag.

Yet her thoughts began to trail off again. '_What if she has got a dagger in there, she wants to stab me while I sleep... No-no, why would she bother, she has a frigging axe! Her body itself is a weapon! Best case scenario: we sort out our problems. Worst case: I loose my head, or my blood, or both... This isn't exactly calming my nerves, lets just do this..._' She quietly walked over, not intending to sneak, but wanted to see if she could get a sneak-peek of what she had in there without alerting the vampires attention, though that plan quickly fell through when Marceline called her out.

"There's no need to be shy around me Bonnie, I'm not going to bite your face off," She said, not turning around to look to even see if the princess was there, she was confident in her senses. "What is it that you want?"

Bubblegum didn't know whether to talk were she stood or come closer or... "Like I said I'm not going to bite your pink little head off your shoulders, sit down, your standing behind me makes me uncomfortable, and we don't want that now do we." Bubblegum didn't know if she was trying to make a joke or if that was a substantial threat, either way she took her invitation and sat besides her, a little further back from the drop.

Marceline closed up her bag and threw it aside the moment she sat down; Bubblegum let out a silent '_**Noooo.**_' seeing the vampire toss aside the bag, it being her means of conversation, and still actually curious to what was inside. "So what's up?" Marceline spoke casually, it was like there talk the day before never happened.

"Erm-" She quickly tried to think of something else to divert to. "I just-uh – wanted to discuss plans, you-know like strategy and stuff."

"Strategy huh?" Marceline raised her eyebrows, all ears to Bubblegums enlightening plan, and excuse to babble off and buy her sometime to segway into the actual reason she came to talk.

"Yeah, we should prepare a plan of attack, like formations and..."

"Lemmi just stop you there for a second Bonnie. One: No plan ain't gonna matter when we are actually there and in the thick of it. Only thing you'll have is your ability to adapt to the situation. Trying to stick to a plan that's falling apart will only get you hurt, or worse. Two: I know damn right that's not why you came to chat, it's written all over your face, props to the effort of trying to be spontaneous though."

"Oh-um..." Bubblegum didn't anticipate getting caught red handed like this. '_Should I just get straight to the point? No-no, it feels too sudden to just ask it like that, I need to work my way too it._'

"How did you know I was coming? you looked pretty focused on your bag, and I as trying to be quite, I didn't want to intrude." She chuckled nervously, slightly lying through her teeth.

Yet again Marceline called her out, "You mean you were spying on me - you think I haven't noticed you looking over your shoulder my way the entire morning..." She sounded a bit irked at Bubblegums way of sugar-coating her intentions with innocence, still remaining cordial however.

"How did you..."

"I'm a vampire Bonnibel, I have a sense, a tingling down my spine when I'm being gawked at. Its a defence thing or something." She rubbed her right shoulder, she looked uncomforted, at least from what Bubblegum could tell. She always got this way when talking about herself, even more so when it was about anything to do with being a vampire.

Bubblegums mind was more taxed on the thought of what else those senses of hers could pick up on, but she had a discussion to continue before it got awkward. "You really don't know much about being what you are, do you?" She hoped to go down this route of topic to learn more about her kind...

"And you are telling me that you do?" Marceline, without delay, parried off the question.

"Well no, but I..."

"Just tell me what you want." But Marceline made it clear it wasn't something she wanted to discuss.

It sounded strange to say now that she was asked, but she had no other questions to fall back on, at least none that came to mind, "Um, I was – I came over wondering what you had in your bag."

"Oh.. that was it. Well-erm-its private. Look but you don't see me coming up to you and asking what's in your bag, or what tests you're working on."

"I wouldn't mind if you asked." She smiled fluttering her eyes, almost inviting the question to make this conversation go smoother.

Marceline dropped her brows and rolled her eyes, and succumbed to Bubblegums puppy-dog face "Its just a few personal bits I thought I'd bring along seeing as we were going to be travelling for a while. Does that answer your question?"

"Well – yes, not as directly as I wanted, but yeah."

Marceline expected her to leave by now, yet the princess still sat there. "**Sigh**, Is there anything else you wanted?" She was becoming impatient with Bubblegums presence and sudden odd clingy-ness.

"Don't you like company now and again?" Trying to get Marceline off the impression that she wanted something from her and onto a casual conversation.

Marceline sat there for a second, thinking about it. She felt like opening up just once. It's tough sometimes for her to contain all her thoughts and feelings, sometimes it felt like a good idea to let someone in briefly. '_Wait, this is exactly what she wants..._' And instead shielded her emotions with her stubbornness. "...No I've came used to being alone for the past thousand years. The rest of my kind are dwindling dimwits. And that time you gave me in that cell, yeah that certainly helped me realise I don't need anyone else."

"What about Finn?"

"...He's... different..." She was unable to say without getting a small knot in her throat. She gave a quick go of clearing it before continuing. "**Sigh**. Just give it up, tell me what you are really here for or go, I know you don't really care."

Feeling guilt and sorrow for her she couldn't help but try and explain herself even though she knew the vampire didn't want to her it. "Marceline.. you're wrong of course I care..."

"**Grrgh**! Don't tell me I am wrong! Don't try and make up some sob story, I don't need it. Why do you always have to lie, trying to make up that you are being nice and trying to help me, but really it's me helping you, you need me... You want me to help you, then just don't go there. Now are you going to tell me what you wanted or are you going to lie even more?"

Bubblegum still was debating whether or not it was wise to ask, Marceline was now agitated, but maybe it was best to get it out now rather than never. Plus if Marceline called out another of her lies, she'd likely never trust Bubblegum again. "I didn't want to make you mad or anything. I-um was just wondering, about yester..."

Her question was cut in by Jake calling over to them both, after he finished cleaning up. "Ladies, we should probably make tracks while its early."

"...Yeah, common Bonnie." Her voice still lightly trembled, she tried masking over it, like it was nothing. "I was getting bored sitting round here all day, lets get going. We'll talk whatever it is you want to talk about when we set up next camp." She said sternly walking by the princess. It almost sounded threatening to Bubblegum.

She didn't really have a choice as the vampire picked up her gear and hovered over to the pass that went up the mountain. Maybe it was a good thing anyway. Maybe Marceline wanted to forget about it, Bubblegum was still worried. She gathered up her things and put them I her bag, walking over to the pass with Jake and Marceline.

* * *

It took them another twenty or so minuets of climbing before the gaping maw's of the Badlands displayed itself to them. Along the climb down the wind gusted up and down the mountain face got warmer and warmer, bringing up twists of dust and sand picked up from below. The only view they had so high up was a draining reminder of how far of open, dead, nothing-but-yellow and beige wasteland they'd soon step foot in and have to endure through.

Gazing down into the miles of nothingness, Jake posed a question, "How exactly do we plan on finding him anyway?" He yelled over, to combat to heavy wind in his ear, from behind Bubblegum as she took lead directing them down the steep rocky paths.

She swung her duffle bag to the front of her unzipping one of its many side pockets, jumbling around inside. "We'll find him... _hold on a sec_ – with this!..." She pulled out a small hand-held gadget, obviously pink, with a small screen, three antennas, two on top and one protruding out of the side, two buttons and a switch.

Jake stretched his neck ahead of him to get a better look at the device. "Cool... Um-what is it?"

"This is-um... hmm.. W-I-C-N-E-D!" She oddly enough seemed unsure herself.

"Right... what does that stand for?"

"Well-I-Can't-Name-Everything-Device." - "Oh..." Jake sounded, quite unsatisfyingly. "Look basically it's a detector, it picks up on algorithms, distortions and manipulations of particles and energy." Jake looked at her obliviously. "...**Sigh**, in other words 'magic'."

"Oh, right.. right." He retracted his head back to his shoulders.

"Wait so we're relaying on your little magic tracker to find him in the miles of desert? Doesn't that seem a little far fetched? Who's to say his even using any magic." Marceline hovered forward beside Bubblegum.

"Well I'm certain that in order for the Lich to uphold his form inside Finns head would require compression on his atomic structure, and then constant pressure to keep him such an abnormal size, this will pick up on that."

"Wait - I thought the Lich was **inside**-inside his head, not just him floating around in his skull."

"Well.. it's a bit of both, you see he did compress himself down, but he ain't just floating about in Finns head, his threading himself throughout Finns neural network, that's got to be how he takes control of him.

Also he'll need to defend himself every once and awhile from bandits or wildlife. That 'magic' you think he uses is nothing more than him collecting up the millions and billions of protons, neutrons and electrons in our atmosphere, bonding and fusing them together to a set structure, and **CAB-WHAMO!** Forms that green fire; which I can only imagine being a mixture of boron and phosphorus elements. We'll trace it all until we find him. I admit it is not a solid solution to tracking him down, but I far more prefer it than wondering aimlessly in the desert." Bubblegum almost forgot to breath between her stops to explain the science, not realising it made her almost incapable of understanding, a quite frankly sound a bit mad.

"Uh-huh, this is going to take forever." She folded her arms, floating her way to the back again; harvesting little information from whatever Bubblegum said, she just preyed she knew what she was doing.

"Hmm, I estimate a maximum of four-point-seven days." Bubblegum said, genuinely. Marceline thought she was joking only to look ahead and see her imputing the time on her watch.

"Jeez, you're thrilling me with numbers back here."

* * *

Making it miles inwards, the mountains from where they came, were now unable to be seen, the hills of sand dunes they covered were the only sight behind them, and in every other direction. The sun was beating down relentlessly upon them. Marceline was managing to cope with it for the time being, under the shelter of her sun hat, and her hands tucked in the pockets of the hoodie; still the heat was unbearable, the hoodie itself was baking her on the inside.

Bubblegums skin was irritatingly sticky, the detector was sticking to her palm and fingers, she felt as though she was melting; and Jake, he was flopping into moulds, arms dragged behind him like straw making tracks in the sand, so exhausted to even keep up his normal figure. The lot of them were almost in synchronised panting, their bodies making it clear they needed a break.

Bubblegum rallied them to keep pushing a little further, from the sounds of their panting, it wouldn't be long till they exert themselves, "We just... have to make it... to those... red rocks... The tracker's picking.. picking up... some whacky energy spikes..." She panted out each word with all her breathes.

Jake, with his destination of rest in sight, a promise of shade, seeing the distance it was between them and there, "Oh flub this!" pumped himself up, taking in a deep gust of air into his lungs, grabbing the two girls in his stretched out arms, twirled his legs tightly into a double helix and let them spring himself and the girls over in the general direction.

Too fast and tired to slow down, he rolled up into a hollow ball-ish shape, cocooning the girls inside; he slid his face along his flesh away from the point of impact to not literally hit face-first against the sandstone. Bouncing his lumpy moulds against the wall of sandstone cushioned them to a comfortable stop - well for most of them at least. Jake tumbled down to the surface, crashing on the floor, unfolding himself around PB and Marceline.

With just about all the air expelled from his body from the crash, he groaned out, "That's it I'm done..." and remained laying limp in the shade, not bothering to return to his form, attempting to catch his breath, widening his mouth bigger than his face. Both girls sat to his side basking in the shade.

* * *

**Thump**

"What was that?" The ghoul voice ask apprehensively, hearing the loud thump, and watching the patches of sand unsettle, and rocks vibrate.

"**Guh-hmmrrgh**, its, **yawn**, just an animal or something." Finn mumbled back, passing it off with some excuse, trying to get some rest in the shaded stone surface, using his backpack as a pillow.

"Get up you fool! Go see what it was; if you die out here I'll be stuck with your corpse until someone stupid enough comes close for me to take." He was unusually on edge, the Lich was the one always mocking, taunting or belittling the situation being in the secure confines of Finns head. Now he felt vulnerable. He almost sounded scared, like his plan had ran out and now he didn't know what to do.

"**Arrngh**, ever thought that's what I've been planning on this entire time! Now let me rest..."

Even worse, his host was starting to rebel against him in a way he could not combat. "You.. ungrateful RUNT! I give my gift and you..."

"Ugh, yeah, yeah! I know the story! If I check it out will you SHUT-UP for five minuets and let me sleep!"

"...Watch your tongue boy, or I'll make you bite it off..."

The two then both went back into a mutual silence. He was feeling pressured in, he could almost sense it, after surviving a millennium, not once did he feel the walls crashing down around him. At this point Finn had all his humanity taken, the Lich no longer scared him twisting and turning his reality. He coped with it for so long, and saw so much he was just fed up of being this doomsdays keeper, he wanted it over, the Lich refused to let him do such drastic conclusions for reasons that benefited him. But the Lich was slowly losing his grasp, his intimidation.

Finn sat up, shook his head awake, giving his poncho a few flaps in the wind to rid it of any unwanted materials. Throwing his bag over his shoulders he dragged on to were the noise came from...


	9. C8 For Our Brother, Hero and Lover

**Finally, I've been wanting to post this chapter for such a long time. Fun fact: I originally planned to have these events happen 3 chapters ago. I hope it lives up to my and your expectations alike.**

**(R/R and as always, enjoy.)**

Chapter Eight: For Our Brother, Hero and Lover.

"I guess we'll rest here for a couple of hours and see where the tracker takes us next." Said the princess, putting the tracker back in the bag for safe keeping, also getting out water for the herself and the other two.

Handing bottles over to Marceline and Jake, he lazily winced, "Can't you just pour it in my mouth..." he instructed with his jaw wide open and waiting as he laid there. Bubblegum lowered her eyelids giving him a bothered stare handing him the drink.

"Daw-c'mon, I saved us liked an exhausting ten more minuets of walking." He pouted, throwing his arms and legs in the air in protest while still on his back.

"And I thank-you for that Jake, but you can drink for yourself, I'm as tired as you are; I'm not going to start pampering you." She folded a page of notes in her pocket, equipping it as a fan, circulating the air around her face while cracking open the fresh bottle of water.

"Yeah that was pretty awesome, I would have been dragging my face in the sand by the time we got here; would've messed up my hair." Marceline added her appreciation. "Hey Bonnie, how'd you keep these so cool in your bag this whole time." She asked, gesturing the freezing bottle in her hand.

Bubblegum was glad she asked, she loved an opportunity to explain her science; she didn't want to sound too big-headed bringing such topics up out of the blue so she could self-indulge a little in her creations. "I tried out a formula for a freezing agent, put a single drop in each, and well, it keeps things, primarily liquids, cool for a prolonged period of time. I believe I may be onto how Ice King manages to manipulate matter below zero degrees; _**hmff**_ _magie meinen arsch_. But that still needs more testing. I was originally aiming to get an actual 'freezing' agent, but it turned out to just coat matters briefly in ice crystals at a molecular level, they easily melt in room temperature, but they do end up cooling the liquid as a result, in this case that's a good thing. Need to mess around with my formula a bit when I get back..." She noted to herself.

"Hmm." Was all Marceline could say, nodding upon Bubblegums finish, she didn't really understand the whole science aspect, she was hoping for a more simple or direct answer; all in all she got an answer that she somewhat understood.

"So now we are here, what did you wanna ask a few hours back?"

Bubblegum took a second to recollect, and then she remembered, with her expression noticable dropped from her face, she didn't want to bring it up again, at least for now while everything is calm and settled. She eluded Marceline's question. "I-hmm, I can't seem to remember, guess it wasn't important." but her expression said otherwise.

Marceline easily picked up on her lie, which brought her more curios to what she wanted. "Bonnie, living for a-thousand years has its perks, its obvious your hiding something; written all over your rosy-red cheeks. So c'mon what is it. Is it girl talk, you don't want Jake to hear or something?"

"Juh-what? No..." She denied, blushing slightly from the thought of the things Marceline could be implying by 'girl talk'.

"Hey I won't judge princess, you can say what you gotta say." Jake said, also now curious to here what she was straying to say.

"Guys it's really nothing, just drop it." She anxiously laughed it off, hoping they'll give up on their curious pursuit.

"Saying that only makes me want to hear it even more. Give up Bonnie, I can bug you about this all day till you do, and all night if I have too."

"...Fine, if you want to know – but don't get angry or anything, okay?..." '_This don't sound good'_ Marceline thought.

"Its just, well yesterday, you sounded like you were ready to.. well, do drastic actions towards me and.. I just wanted to know if we're..."

"**Chsst**, really Bonnie, you bring that up? Do you have any idea what you put me through?"

"See this is why I didn't want to bring it up. Lets just drop it."

"Oh-no-no, drop it? I don't think so. You think if you can just keep avoiding these things you won't have to face up to what you did? I don't think you quite understand how it was to survive in there. You seem to just pave over it all, trying to cover it all up. I'm still recovering, getting used to the outside world again, that fucking messed me up, it was traumatising. So yeah, my fucking bad if I'm a little on-edge or hostile around you. It was your orders, your dungeon; you should be thankful it don't crumble you to dust. I set those emotions aside, at least for now, for Finn's sake, and you bring it up again acting scared like your the victim..."

* * *

Finn staggered and dragged his feet along the carved stone in the direction of what sounded like shouting, it was the only sense of direction he had in this labyrinth of red sandstone and boulders. "It's probably a bunch of bandits, we should stay clear of them, you know? Keep out of unnecessary trouble." Finn said, trying to sway the Lich, thinking it could be some innocent lost traveller the Lich would no doubt slaughter.

"Keep going..." He commanded. Finn prayed it was a bunch of good for nothing bandits that are more deserving of such a demise, though no-one really deserved the slow torturing pain the Lich planned on inflicting.

He was close now, could almost tell what was being said, he was sure they were just around the corner, he pressed up against the wall, readying to peek his head around to see who he was to encounter. Before he could, the voice, it clicked, he recognised it. Surely it couldn't have been though? Marceline?

His heart contorted, felt it sink into his stomach just thinking about her, wanting to see her after so long, the real her, not some messed up mirage. He realised though, the Lich, he would kill her, and whoever she was shouting at on sight; Finn tried to discourage any further actions even more so. "Uh-um, We should really leave these guys alone, give me a rest already, I'm sure you'll find my body works much better once I get some sleep."

The Lich chuckled darkly, "Hahaha, stupid boy. How many times must I remind you? I can read your thoughts..." The Lich let that sink in, and it did. Finn internally screamed, beating himself up as he realised he just gave away their identities. "Lets go say hello shall we..." The Lich now grew his confidence back knowing Finn was yet again caged up in his fearful place. It sounded like he was going to relish in the coming events. Finn pleaded, he could do or offer nothing more, "Please don't. Just leave her alone, I won't ever put up a fight again, you can have me, you can have my body..."

"Imbecile! I already own you. Disobedient yes, but a slave will always bend to the whip sooner or later. You can bargain me with nothing that I don't already own. Now stop staling, I'd like to chat with the demon wench again." The Lich surged an ache in Finn's skull forcing him to move forward...

Marceline got up and started slowly approaching the princess, readying herself to pounce, "I should bite your face in half, drain you dry!..."

"Woah-woah! Marceline calm down now..."

Jakes intervention only turned her building rage on himself now, "And you mutt! You stood by a let her do this, you helped throw me in there, suffocated me. I'd like to see you try that in a real fight when I'm not tied up, weak and helpless-"

"M-Marceline? Jake, Bubblegum?..." Finn walked from around the corner trembling from the knees, holding his throbbing head. "Go on boy, have fun, I won't interrupt - yet." His lips shivered and throat swelled up, preventing his words to come out other than stutters and jitters; he knew what was in store for them. He didn't know how to warn them, how to stop it.

Marceline immediately stopped fulminating, hearing a weak timid stutter of words between her shouts. She turned. "Fi.. Finn? **Guh**, Is-is that really you?" A short overjoyed chuckled broke up her words as she squinted over to make sure her eyes didn't deceive her, unable to uphold her anger in the sight of the one she loved, and eyes tearing up, she was in a turmoil of emotion, unable to move or say in disbelief that he was actually stood in front of her.

Bubblegum's eyes darted out, jaw wide open, dumbfounded, she to was lost for words. Her emotions didn't cloud her vision, she still knew what lurked inside him, but didn't know what her next move would be. He seemed harmless at the moment, afraid as a matter of fact, like a lost child, she almost fell gullible to his facade like Marceline, but composed herself not to.

"Finn?... Buddy? You okay?" Jake was wary, he found himself in the same predicament as the princess. He didn't know if Finn was Finn, or if he was talking the Lich.

They all stood, not knowing what to do, none of them could think of what to say, now they found him it was all so surreal, Bubblegum expected to see him in a more hostile attitude; he just seemed normal, for the most part, frightened but normal. An array of questions circled through her mind, '_Could the Lich hear them? Is this a trick? Is the Lich in control right now? Could Finn have got the Lich out of him?_' She didn't know what to think, and therefore didn't know what actions to take.

"I-he.. It's... I can't..." Noises blubbered out to form words. He could not get a sentence together. It was impossible to think. Seeing them again. The Lich swirling throughout his mind, scratching around elatedly like a puppy playing fetch in his head. And the whispering he would echo over Finns words to throw him off. The clash of conflicting emotions. All so much demanded his brains attention, he just felt himself shut down.

Even that he couldn't with the overwhelming feeling he had, he needed to somehow prevent the coming events the Lich oh-so dearly wanted.

"Go on Finn, tell them I still own you; I'll force your hand to choke them all, watch the life from their faces slowly fade away. I thought you would prefer spending some _quality_ time with them in their _last moments_, as my gift to you." The Lich had Finn on the edge, his will, his morale, so crushed, defeated inside. In this mind state, he wouldn't have to take the boy's body by force, his mentality posed no applicable opposition. Everything that drove him to hold on was destroyed, he was about to become nothing more but a husk.

Marceline went to run for him, wanting to embrace him at last, once more after so long; Bubblegum dashed out to grab her arm, "Marceline what are you doing, remember what's inside of him." She rushed out her words, keeping her voice down so only Marceline could hear. The girl shoved Bubblegum down to the ground, yelling, "Get off me!" with a raging red flared in her eyes. Marceline was slave to her emotions, unable to see any reasoning.

"Jake!" Bubblgum called out for him to stop Marceline getting near Finn; he reached out ahead of her, tripping her over using his forearm and tied up her legs. She hissed, clawing her outgrown nails deep, breaking the skin, drawing blood from the dog, he yelped, unable to retain a tight hold on the crazed vampire. She wiggled free, and continued her run for Finn, sun hat falling off her head in her haste.

"No-don't.. **Argh, cough**. _Come closer_..." The Lich tripped up Finn's words, causing half of his warning to go unheard; not that would have stopped her anyway.

"Yes_... Keep going..._" He cooed from inside, concocting a devious plan; though that was no kept secret from Finn.

She reached, staling in front of him, the anger in her eyes tamed down back to harmless innocence, taking it all in. Jake and Bubblegum remained back a watched in dread of what could happen.

"...Finn.. Is it?.. It's really you..." She still couldn't believe it was him stood in front of her.

He felt his insides curdling in gut wrenching pain, he could hardly speak, hardly warn her, "Marceline.. please – don't..."

She threw her arms around him before he could finish, bursting into tears, drenching his shoulder, blubbering out words between sobs, "I can't.. believe its you!.. I've missed y-you so ff-f-frigging much!"

"_How do you know its the __**real**__ her? She's just another dream. Dispose of her quickly while she is unsuspecting, and be done with this. Hehe..._" The Lich whisked around in his head again, trying to break his grasp on reality, trying to get Finn doing the dirty work as he humbly watches.

Finn knew it was her, he was certain, the real Marceline. This wasn't another treacherous mind game projected to him at the brink of death. He could sense her in every way: Her cold skin, yet warm embrace. Her soft – faint whispering cries of happiness as her chin perched itself on his shoulder. The scent of her hair as it picked up in the air and brushed against his nose. It was certainly her without a doubt, no mind-foolery here, which made the moment, oh, so much more dreadful for Finn.

He was panting, sweating, needing to do something to get her away. But nor did he want to let go of her again. "What's the matter **Boy**! Don't you have something to tell her? I don't know, like in the next few minuets she'll be charred corpse! Your nervous-he_hehe_. **Demon** got your tongue?" Dementedly exited. Distorting and wrenching his vocal cords naturally in pure joy. He twisted his words around his brain stem like a vortex. He couldn't think, he started going cold.

Finn was paralysed to do anything, even hold her back, he wanted to; even more so he needed to tell her, warn her to let go. His body betrayed him, his insides feeling like they digested barbed wire, and throat sealed so tight he could hardly breathe, he was practically a shell, especially after the Lich added his input, "This is too perfect; _how can I __**resist?**_"

He knew what it meant and felt a numbness growing up from the tips of his fingers and the bottom of his feet, he body and muscles spammed in a flimsy attempt to fight of the oncoming invader, but there was no way. He felt himself being pushed in the back seat as the Lich took the helm; with his last ounce of strength and control he whispered painfully into her ear, "... I'm.. **so**.. _sorry_..." and his lifeless weight collapsed onto her.

She groaned with the sudden weight being dropped onto her, she guided him down on his knees and held him steady by the shoulders. "Finn? Finn! Are you – are you okay? Finn talk to me..."

His head was hung down, not bothering to hold itself up, and his hood covered his face. She felt his body suddenly start jolting, thinking he was crying, but no, after it grew louder he was.. laughing? Performing a grisly chuckle on his knees, his voice changed deeper and sharply whispered, "_**Maarcelieeeeeeene...**_"

She felt fear broke free inside, she didn't want to believe it but she knew. Finn was gone, and what now knelt in front of her was a monster even she was afraid of. He clung to her clothing, pulling himself up on his feet, "...It's been so long since we last had a _little_ _**chat...**_" lifting his face, revealing those soul gazing eyes to her.

"Marceline! Run!" Bubblegum and Jake both shouted from behind. She went to make a break for it, but he still held the fabric of her hoodie firmly, pulling her back in. Her breathing panted and panicked, not knowing what to do, Finn was still inside there somewhere.

His free hand snuck up to her twiggy neck, roughly clasping it, holding her just slightly off the ground, her toes desperately attempting to graze the floor in support for her weight . She couldn't breath as he crushed her throat muscles together, blocking the airway; she franticly slapped, punched and scratched his arms and face, trying to make him stop. "_F-Ffinn.. I.. know... you.. c-cann... fight back... Please..._" She hardly chocked and spluttered out, starting to go purple in the face.

"Haha-you think he can save you now? You thought he could save you at all? I have news for you demon. He is mine, I **own** him. This sad sack of meat, boasting to be the last of his kind is nothing more but my puppet. He will obediently watch as I break you, and then your so-called 'friends'."

Marceline was close to slipping away, the Lich's words were becoming nothing than blurred ringing, her eyes were slipping to the back of her head and she foamed and drooled with the saliva having nowhere else to go but out. In her fading moments, Jake launched at them from the background, increasing the the mass size of his readied fist, letting out a roaring battlecry, dealing the Lich a solid uppercut, freeing his hand from Marceline's throat, causing him to flip back and crash to the floor.

Marceline too fell on the floor, rolled up, holding her sore muscles, coughing and straining to return air back in her lungs, while Jake landed behind the Lich, readying himself for the imminent fight. The Lich was on all fours, lifting one hand up to help adjust his jaw from the impact, catching a spoonful of blood trickle down his chin from his busted lip. "Heheha. Go on, hit me! You're only hurting him..." He intimidated, throwing Jake of his game.

Jake loosened his knuckles, but still went in for another hit. The Lich stood there, posing no threat or resistance, with his arms wide open, welcoming the dogs assault. Jake didn't take much notice that the Lich wanted this, tunnel visioned and fuelled with anger to see his brother possessed; he fired another fist into his gut before he even was in natural reach, the Lich hunched other in an expiring cough, expelling droplets of blood out from the hero's lips. Jake took advantage on the Lich's stance and dropped an overgrown fist onto his back, pummelling him face-first into the ground.

Bubblegum ran over to Marceline dragging the coughing girl away from the fight and rested her back against a rock. "Marceline are you okay?" She shook by the shoulders with concern. Marceline nodded as she turned her head sidewards to let out another wave of coughing.

"I'm going to go get the weapons, just stay here till I get back!" Bubblegum instructed before getting up and running over to her bag. Marceline tried to grab her arm before leaving, but she slipped through her fingers, she needed to tell her, and tried shouting, "_Bubbl-__**cough,**__ in my, __**cough**__, bag!_" But the princess was already gone before she could hear. Bubblegum grabbed her Discombobulator rifle, strapping it to her shoulders, and also got Marceline's modified bass.

Dust kicked up and swirled around him. Again, the Lich slowly lifted himself on all fours, bloodied and bruised over his face and presumable other areas covered by the now devastated poncho. He somehow managed to form a smile among his mangled face full of broken teeth, scar's and cuts and snapped, "_**My turn...**_" in a grimace tone. He scrapped his fingernails along the dusty stone below him, igniting searing hot flames emerging from the palms, throwing them at Jake; he stretched past one, the other burnt out on his fur, burning it down to the roots in his skin.

Jake grew his snake like arms to attack from a range and avoid the fire, he tried wrapping the his foe in one and punch with the other, the Lich smacked away the punching arm while the other one trying to subdue him only got grabbed and held still while running his scorching hand down his arm deeply burning his skin causing Jake to retract-back his limbs.

"Pathetic whelp!..." He scorned at the whimpering dog, spiting out the build up of blood next to his foot. He readied his palms with another two fireballs strutting over to Jake as he was pressuring and rubbing the burn.

Bubblegum skidded beside Marceline, now overcoming her coughing fits. She placed the bass guitar on her lap, and instructed to flip the switch and start playing the chords. Marceline thought to inform Bubblegum of what she needed in the bag, but decided to give Bubblegums plan a try first before she used her own. She got up and started sprinting over to the Lich as he approached Jake, whilst Bubblegum started to take aim and charge up the rifle.

"Marceline! Stun Him!" She shouted over to coordinate the attack. Marceline did as instructed and started playing random notes on the bass, emitting a extremely high-pitched sound, causing the Lich to cower and seal shut his ears from the screeching noise that tortuously pounded his eardrums, holding him in place.

Bubblegum looked down her sights, taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it exhale through a gap in her lip, firing the pulsed charge. It cascaded through the air, from her to him in no more than a second, and erupted on impact, causing it to fission, letting loose the electromagnetic pulses around the Lich. Marceline stopped playing and watched the Lich howl in torment, falling to his knees, taking in deep long pants of breath. His poncho, practically torn asunder on his backside smoked and swayed in the wind.

Bubblegum knew this wasn't right, her device was supposed to knock him out on impact, she charged up again taking another shot into his back. He felt the shot shunt him forward, again causing him to yell out in displeasure; this time he threw his arms into the air in a fit of rage, roaring, "_**Ee**_**ENoO**_**O**_**UGH!**" slamming his fist in the earth sending a wave of gravity-bending energy cracking its way beneath the stone, hurling all three surrounding him back.

After getting back his energy, still with his fist dug in the ground, the Lich returned to his feet, and focused his attention on the one shooting him. "...So glad you could join the fight _princess..._" She was up against a rock, a bit concussed after hitting her head. "That's a fancy new new _toy_ have there, that is the second time you've showed me one of you're little gadgets. Let me repay you, I haven't had the chance to show you **Any** of my _tricks..._" Clicking his knuckles together.

He conjured up another two flame-balls, holding them tightly in his hands, cooking them till they were bursting spits of flame through the crack in his fingers. He brought his hands close together and opened the flames to one-another, fusing the two white hot fires into one unstable massing ball. Lifting it above his head, he pulled back his arms and then launched the one huge fireball at her.

Jake leaped to his feet and slivered his body over as fast as possible tackling Bubblegum out of the way. The explosion sent Jakes spaghetti body off over near the bags next to were Marceline was, Bubblegum just barley on the outside of the blast zone lied unconscious near the crater it left behind.

"HaHa, and then there was one." He looked around to see the injured girl crawling for her bag. Sounding proud of himself, dispatching all of them, and savouring the vampire for last. Her hands trembled, trying to make there way through the buttons and zips before the Lich made his way over to her. Marceline's heart pounded as she finally broke into the compartment she needed, grabbing the objects inside, in that moment she felt her hair being tangled up and fiercely pulled back, dragging her away.

"What were you doing over here by yourself, hmm? You were missing all the fun." He grabbed her arm raising it as she tried to hide, "Milk and chalk? What were you expecting to do with these? Make me laugh to death? Hahaha, well it almost worked. If only your father could see you now; no wonder he disowned you, what an embarrassment on the Abadeer name. There's hardly anything left of your kind, well especially **your** kind. A demon and a vampire; time for me to put an end to this plague."

She couldn't bring herself to shape-shift to defeat the Lich, trembling from exertion her bat, werewolf, or even giant tentacle monster forms were lost to her. Even if she could muster up enough determination, she would be putting Finn in harms way, she didn't want to risk hurting, or worst killing him, she still loved him and he was still in there.

However she wasn't a damsel yet. An idea sparked just before she accepted defeat, she twisted his arm and lunged her fangs into his throat draining his dead-blood, making his body weaker and weaker; with hope, enough to even her odds.

"**Arrgh**! Get off you parasite!" He charged up a handful of force energy and punched her in the chest, causing her head and back to collide against the sandstone wall behind her. She fell unconscious along with the other two. The Lich went to perform the fatal blow on Marceline, just before he thought, 'Hmmm, oh-hehaha _**yes**_...' and switched places with Finn. The young man gasped from the shock, getting his senses and bearings back. He clung to his torn rags, needing some sort of confirmation that he was back; and then he noticed.

Everyone he held dear, his brother, his best friend, and his lover, all lied unmoving, battered and bruised in the aftermath of a battle-zone - defeated by the Lich. He shivered unsteady wanting to cry out in emotional fury to exact revenge on the one who did this to them, but knew in himself, he too was already beaten. The little hope Finn clutched onto was shattered, there was no longer anything to fight for, he only wished now to die with them.

The Lich obviously didn't bring him back to stand witness. He intended to rub salt into Finn's already gaping and throbbing wounds.

"Look Finn. Look what you did: to the hound, to the princess, and.. _Daww_-_no_. Look what you did to _Marcy_..."

"_Mareceline_... No, I-I – I didn't.. I don't remember... I swear _I didn't_..." He fell beside Marceline, and shuffled himself over to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders he held her so tightly against his chest. He cried into her hair kissing her forehead, uttering, "_I'm sorry – I'm __**so**__ sorry. Marceline. Please, __**please**__ wake-up._" not wanting to leave her side. Trying to shut out what the Lich was saying.

"**Arrghaha**, _Marcy_ – Marcy! - MARCY! Heghhe_hehe._" He mocked and snickered Finns cries. "Hehehee. You've been a bad boy Finn... Very bad _**indeeeeed**_..." His voice sank deeper down to the bottom of his throat.

"I-I.. **NO!** You did this!" Finn cried in defence of his innocence.

"Did I? It was you body. Your hands. You could have stopped this. Stopped me.. but you were **weak** and **pitiful!**" He claimed, trying to absolutely break the righteous hero.

He couldn't make up the words to say; the more his words rippled through every passing thought, the more Finn believed he could have prevented this, somehow take his body back. But the answers eluded him. He tried strength, willpower, even tried outsmarting the Lich but was beaten on all fronts.

A brief silence passed as Finn couldn't shake the thoughts as they burrowed into and under his skin, and sank deeper into his guts. Then one last insulting inquiry from the Lich. "Are you ready to submit?" He said it as if this was all a lesson to demand his obedience. What other option was there to choose. He rest his cheek on top of her head, staring straight off.

'_There's no other way-_' He couldn't help but think.

"_**Yes...**_" The Lich sounded eagerly.

'_No other way..._' Finn kept repeating.

"_**Yes**_, **yes**. Go on.. _give into me_."

'_No other... _way?'

"**Hmmgh**?"

Finn kissed Marceline's forehead again, keeping his eyes fixated on something ahead. He withdrew his arm around her and let her gently rest along the floor, and got up to his feet.

"Where are you going?" The asked pitifully, knowing it was over – all that was left was for Finn to hand himself over completely.

He kept walking; the Lich was unable to tell what he was doing, he mind was washed, clouds of voiding thought blocked out the Lich's ability to see into his intentions. "What are you doing boy? Everything is you love is gone. Sit down, accept your losses, and give yourself to me." He grew tired of waiting for his prize. He could just retake control again, but to truly claim Finn, he needed the hero to give him the keys.

Finn suddenly stopped at the fallen milk and chalk. "Hah, what is this? Have you snapped?" Finn knelt down and took the chalk into hand drawing a happy face. "Wait-" He opened and poured the bug milk over his marking, sucking into the lines. "-I've seen this somewhere. What is this – what are you playing at boy, enough games..."

Finn took a breath of preparation, knowing there was no real turning back to his plan. "Sigh. I couldn't save you, but I can try and save the rest of the world.. maybe...** Sigh**. Maloso-"

"Maloso? Where have I?..."

"-vobiscum-"

"Wait..."

"-et cum-" The drawing began to glow.

"FINN! I command you to **stop**!" The Lich screeched, suddenly realising what this was.

"-**spiritum**...!" The ground cracked and contracted into the drawing, spewing out a whirling, blue and black wormhole sucking in the loose sand and small chipped rocks around its entity.

Finn was blasted on his back from the shockwave.

"Finn.. I can give you anything in Ooo! Anything you desire! But if you step in there, I can't do anything. We will both be doomed!" The Lich pleaded and bargained since he tried the usual pain into submission method, but Finn seemed to ignore.

"That's the plan." He said bluntly, with nothing left to loose, picking himself up to walk through.

"**Noooo**!" He shunted Finn down to his knees, use all his feasible power to preventing going further. "That's Hunson's domain! I will not be lorded over by that smug, demonic, cretin...!"

Finn still managed to lurch himself forward with all the wait being strained through his muscles. With his fingertips at the brim of the portal the Lich tried one last ploy to stop him from going. "**Argh!** Look their not dead. None of them. They're all breathing, alive and well, they're just unconscious you fool! I will spare them if you do not enter the wretched Night-O-sphere."

A little faith in Finn's heart was restored. Knowing it could just be a lie, Finn wanted to believe it was true, and saw it as even more reason to leave the land of Ooo for its, and his friends safety. He stuck his hand inside, feeling the gravity pull in the rest of his body. "No! **Nooo! NO**_**OOOO!**_" The Lich shouted out a scream only heard by Finn, as they warped through to the other side; after their matter safely passed through, the portal collapsed shut, sealing their exit.

**The End...**

**...**

**Nah just kidding... _or am I_?**

**Ooo is safe for the foreseeable future, at the cost of one hero. Were do you see it going from here on?**


End file.
